Middle-aged people diagnosed with diabetes are more likely than non-diabetic peers to suffer from severe memory and other cognitive impairment at the age of 70, according to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Scientists from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore (Maryland, USA) together with colleagues from other research centers in the USA have shown that diabetes accelerates brain aging by about 5 years. For example, a 60-year-old diabetic experiences as much cognitive decline as a 65-year-old person with normal glucose metabolism.
This is especially true for those diabetic patients whose blood glucose levels are poorly controlled.
According to Dr. Elizabeth Selvin, lead researcher, in order to have a healthy brain by the age of 70, you need to prevent type 2 diabetes by eating healthy food and exercising regularly by the age of 50.
She and her colleagues used data from a study on atherosclerosis risk factors for over 13 people. people (white and black) who were 48 to 67 years old at baseline. Their health status was followed for about 20 years. Every three years or so, the subjects reported for control visits. Their mental performance was assessed at the second, fourth and fifth visits. For this purpose, memory tests (recalling a list of words), a symbol-to-numbers test and a speech fluency test were used.
Scientists calculated that the mental performance of middle-aged people with diabetes was 19 percent. worse than expected based on the results obtained in a group of their peers with normal glucose metabolism.
Cognitive decline was faster in people with poorly controlled diabetes (HbA1c – equal to or greater than 7%) than in patients with well-controlled blood glucose levels. Moreover, longer duration of diabetes was associated with greater impairment of mental performance in old age. Also the occurrence of the so-called middle-aged prediabetes had a negative effect on cognition 20 years later.
“If we are more effective in preventing and controlling diabetes, we can prevent the rapid development of dementia in many people. And delaying it by up to several years can make a huge difference at the population level – from a better quality of life for people to a lower cost of medical care, ‘comments Dr Selvin.
The researcher reminds that the most important known risk factor for type 2 diabetes is overweight and obesity. Research shows that dropping even 5-10 percent. weight loss can prevent the development of diabetes. Therefore, lifestyle – including a healthy diet and regular physical activity – plays an extremely important role in preventing this disease.
Diabetes can contribute to cognitive decline in several ways. First, too much glucose in the blood, which is its primary symptom, damages various tissues and organs, including blood vessels. In turn, deterioration in the function of the blood vessels that supply the brain is one of the risk factors for dementia (known as vascular dementia).
In addition, hypoglycaemia (hypoglycaemia) to which people with diabetes are exposed, taking certain oral antidiabetic drugs and insulin (especially when their dose is incorrectly matched with the caloric value of the meal and the level of physical activity) is very harmful to the brain tissue. (PAP)