Insulin nasal spray may slow Alzheimer's


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A new study released Monday shows that insulin applied daily through a special nasal spray might be a treatment that slows or stops the progression of Alzheimer?s disease. That?s hopeful news for millions facing the memory-robbing disease, because nothing has been successful at halting its awful progress.

In the small study, called a Phase II, researchers from the Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System in Seattle, enrolled 104 people with Alzheimer?s or mild cognitive impairment. The participants were given 20 IU (international units) of insulin, 40 IU of insulint or a saline placebo. Memory, cognition and functional ability were measured before and after treatment. Some of the participants also received lumbar punctures to test cerebrospinal fluid and brain scans before and after treatment.

Adults treated with 20 IU of the insulin nasal spray experienced improved memory and both doses of insulin protected general cognition and ability to function. But the study lasted only four months.

It is critical to note that that if this treatment works in larger studies, it will not be available to patients for a few years, at least.

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