Young adults with Type-2 diabetes may be at increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease later in life, according to a study.

The findings showed that those with Type-2 diabetes had a 31 per cent greater risk of a later diagnosis of Parkinson's disease than those without diabetes. The risk was even higher for younger people, aged 25 to 44. In addition, those with complications from diabetes had a 49 per cent greater risk of a later diagnosis of Parkinson's disease than people without the disease.

"Restoring the brain's ability to use insulin could potentially have a protective effect on the brain and it is possible that a link between Type-2 diabetes and Parkinson's could affect future diagnosis and treatment of these diseases," said Thomas T. Warner, from Britain's University College London (UCL).

For the study, detailed in the journal Neurology, the team identified more than 2 million people who were admitted to the hospital for Type-2 diabetes for the first time. They were then compared to more than 6 million people without diabetes who were admitted to the hospital for a range of minor medical and surgical procedures like sprains, varicose veins, appendectomy and hip replacement. "Our study found a strong link between these two seemingly different diseases. Whether it is genetics that may play a role in the development of these diseases or they have similar pathways to development needs to be investigated further," Warner explained.