Alzheimer's or Brain Diabetes? Ronald Grisanti D.C., D.A.B.C.O., D.A.C.B.N., M.S. A growing body of research suggests there's a powerful connection between your diet and your risk of Alzheimer's disease via similar pathways that cause type 2 diabetes. Back in 2005, a published medical paper introduced a new disease tentatively dubbed "type 3 diabetes" . The researchers learned that, in addition to the pancreas, your brain also produces insulin. They discovered that without the insulin your brain cells will die. A drop in insulin production in your brain may contribute to the degeneration of your brain cells, and studies have found that people with lower levels of insulin and insulin receptors in their brain often have Alzheimer's disease. Studies since 2005 have continually documented that insulin has a much greater role in the brain than previously expected. Insulin is directly responsible for neuron glucose-uptake, and the re