Overview
- The research used Mendelian randomization in 357,883 UK Biobank participants to proxy lifelong exposure to higher two‑hour glucose after eating.
- A genetic predisposition to elevated two‑hour glucose was associated with up to a 69% higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
- No links were found with fasting glucose, basal insulin, insulin resistance, or with dementia risk more broadly.
- A brain imaging subanalysis showed no structural differences in total brain volume, hippocampal size, or white matter damage tied to these metabolic traits.
- A replication attempt in a separate cohort of 111,326 people did not reproduce the association, and the UK Biobank’s limited ancestral diversity underscores the need for broader validation.