When the diagnosis is Alzheimer’s, all stories about it should be read with caution. No one understands the disease yet, despite research efforts. Many lifestyle recommendations have been made to help people stay sharp. The latest research shows that, while there are benefits to those activities, staving on Alzheimer’s is not one of them.

However, this week the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease is delivering more news about the latest research. It all is interesting. There is no way to predict which of these discoveries, if any, will pay off.

This disease is such an especially cruel one, it is not helpful to offer information which raises expectations without hard evidence.

This study, while small and short-term, showed that an insulin spray may benefit Alzheimer’s patients.  As this USA TODAY story says, researchers think that “restoring normal insulin function in the brain” may provide a benefit as insulin resistance and Alzheimer’s disease are closely related.

The drug is available and approved for alternate uses.

Practical use soon should tell whether this insulin spray is beneficial or not.

USA TODAY

“New research suggests that insulin given by spray through the nose might benefit Alzheimer’s patients.

“A new short-term trial of intranasal insulin in Alzheimer’s patients and people with mild cognitive decline showed benefits on certain memory and functioning tests, say researchers from the VA Puget Sound Health Care System/University of Washington-Seattle. They presented the research at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease in Honolulu this week.

“We believe that restoring normal insulin function in the brain may provide therapeutic benefits to adults with Alzheimer’s,” researcher Suzanne Craft says.

“Intranasal administration enables insulin to access brain regions that are compromised in Alzheimer’s, Craft says.

“Previous research has suggested that Alzheimer’s and insulin resistance are closely related.”

Source: USA Today, July 14, 2010

Source: Meeting Presentation, Alzheimer’s Association International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease, July 14, 2010