How blood sugar levels relate to Alzheimer's risk in a diverse group of older adults
Official title: Glucose homeostasis and the risk of Alzheimer's disease and Alzheimer's disease related dementias in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis
Funded at Medstar Health Research Institute · NIH-11146533 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how different patterns of blood sugar over time relate to memory problems and dementia risk in older adults from many racial and ethnic backgrounds.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Medstar Health Research Institute NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Hyattsville, United States) |
| Project start | September 30, 2021 |
| Project end | August 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $702,779 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AG070881-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11146533 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults from the MESA cohort—particularly people aged 65 and older from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds—with or without type 2 diabetes who can provide blood-sugar history and undergo memory testing.
✕Less likely to help
Younger adults or people without long-term blood-sugar measurements or medical follow-up are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this study's findings.
What this research studies
You would be part of findings drawn from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), which has followed thousands of adults since 2000. Researchers use participants' past and current blood-sugar measures (like HbA1c and diabetes diagnoses), medical records, and repeated memory and thinking tests to spot links between glucose control and later cognitive changes. The work combines data across multiple racial and ethnic groups to see whether certain patterns of dysglycemia predict Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias. Results come from long-term follow-up rather than a new treatment visit, and may include imaging and other neurocognitive markers collected through the MESA-MIND ancillary study.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help identify blood-sugar patterns that signal higher dementia risk and inform earlier prevention or tailored glucose-management approaches.
How similar studies have gone: Prior research has linked type 2 diabetes to higher dementia risk, but trials of intensive glucose control have not clearly prevented cognitive decline, so existing evidence is mixed.
Where this research is happening
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Medstar Health Research Institute
Hyattsville, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mongraw-Chaffin, Morgana Lee — Medstar Health Research Institute
- Study coordinator: Mongraw-Chaffin, Morgana Lee
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.