How Dementia and Type 2 Diabetes Are Closely Related And Why Age Is More Important Than We Previously Thought

In fact, the number of premature deaths from diabetes has risen by 5% since 2000.

Even more concerning, though, is what diabetes may be doing to our brains, namely to our memory and cognitive function. 

Diabetes raises the risk of heart disease and strokes, as scientists have long known. As we now know, it also seems to increase your risk of dementia, and the sooner diabetes develops, the bigger that risk is.

According to a New Study, Does Diabetes Cause Internal Aging?

A subject that had not been thoroughly investigated before has finally been addressed by a ground-breaking new study: Does the age at which you have diabetes impact your risk of dementia later in life?

Beginning in the mid-1980s, researchers tracked almost 10,000 individuals, primarily civil officials in London between the ages of 35 and 55, in order to find the answer. Blood sugar levels, BMI, food, exercise, and even genetic risk factors like the notorious Apolipoprotein E gene linked to Alzheimer's disease were all monitored over the course of three decades.

Researchers had diagnosed 639 instances of dementia and 1,710 cases of diabetes by 2019. And what they discovered was both eye opening

and sobering.

Dementia rates were 10 per 1,000 among persons who had diabetes less than five years prior to turning 70.

That risk increased to 13 per 1,000 for people who had diabetes 6–10 years prior.

Additionally, dementia rates increased to 18.3 per 1,000 people with diabetes, which is double the incidence for people without the disease, if the diagnosis was made more than ten years before the age of 70.

The lesson learned? Diabetes may have a more detrimental effect on your brain the earlier it starts to cause long-term damage.

Why Does Diabetes Raise the Risk of Dementia? The Link Between the Brain and the Body

There is a profoundly physiological connection between diabetes and dementia that goes beyond just statistics. Scientists think the following could be occurring below the surface:

1.The Brain-Heart Road

Diabetes has a devastating effect on the heart. Additionally, because your brain depends on normal blood flow, high blood pressure and heart problems can cause microscopic harm upstairs. Chronic inflammation, decreased circulation, and minor strokes are all factors in cognitive impairment.

The twist, though, is this: People with diabetes have a higher risk of dementia even after controlling for stroke risk. So there is more going on.

2.Brain fog and fluctuations in blood sugar

Although strict blood sugar management lowers the risk of heart disease and stroke, it can also result in hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar. Repeated dips can harm the hippocampus, the area of the brain involved in memory, over time, even if these events may first appear unsteady or confusing.

and sobering.

Simply put? Your memory can be eroded by blood sugar fluctuations, one hypoglycemia episode at a time.

3.The Theory of Type 3 Diabetes

The idea that Alzheimer's disease is a sort of diabetes, also known as "type 3 diabetes," is one of the most convincing theories in neuroscience today. The logic?

The hormone insulin, which is essential for diabetes, affects how brain cells operate as well.

Amyloid plaques and tau tangles, the pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease, seem to grow more quickly in the brain when insulin resistance is present.

In summary, your memory can be destroyed by the same hormone imbalance that interferes with your metabolism.

How to Keep Your Blood Sugar and Brain Safe

The encouraging part is this: You do not have no power. There are actual, achievable adjustments that can lower your risk of both diabetes and dementia, regardless of whether you have prediabetes, diabetes, or simply wish to protect your future.

Think about discussing with your physician:

Whole-food eating with a focus on lots of greens and low-glycemic foods

Regular exercise, even if it is just 30 minutes of walking each day

Weight control, particularly the reduction of abdominal fat, which is associated with insulin resistance

Getting enough sleep has an impact on blood sugar!

Controlling cholesterol and blood pressure

Reducing refined carbohydrates and processed sugar wherever possible

Reducing alcohol intake and stopping smoking

It is simple to believe that dementia and cognitive decline will occur later in life, far off in the distant future of aging. However, this study serves as a reminder that the seeds are frequently sown decades before the first lost keys or forgotten name.

We might be able to postpone, lessen, or even stop the cognitive loss that once seemed inevitable if we pay attention to how and when diabetes manifests in our life.

The work is worthwhile for your brain. You will be grateful to yourself later.