A new study has revealed that a simple blood test commonly conducted for diabetic patients may help predict the worsening condition of Alzheimer’s disease.
Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, marked by confusion, speech and language difficulties, changes in movement, and behavioral issues. Currently, there is no cure for this disease, nor any reliable method to determine how rapidly it will progress. Available medications only help ease some of the symptoms.
However, new research presented at the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) Congress 2025 suggests that a blood test for insulin resistance may identify patients at a higher risk of accelerated disease progression.
Neurologists from the University of Brescia in Italy analyzed data from 315 individuals who were not diabetic but had signs of cognitive decline. Among them, 200 patients were already diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
All participants underwent a blood test to measure insulin resistance using the triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index. After three years, a follow-up assessment was conducted.
The participants were divided into groups based on varying levels of cognitive impairment and TyG scores.
Findings showed that individuals with Alzheimer’s and the highest TyG scores experienced cognitive decline four times faster than those with lower scores. Interestingly, this correlation was not observed in participants whose cognitive impairment was not due to Alzheimer’s.
The study highlights the potential of using an insulin resistance blood test as an early indicator for tracking the progression of Alzheimer’s in at-risk individuals.
