High Blood Sugar Levels Put You at 18% Higher Risk for Dementia

A New England Journal of Medicine study shows that seniors with higher than average blood sugar levels have an 18% increased risk for dementia.

In people without diabetes, an average glucose level of 115
milligrams per deciliter led to an increased risk when compared to an
average of 100 mg/dl. In people with diabetes, the dementia risk was 40%
higher for people with an average glucose level of 190 mg/dl, when
compared to an average of 160 mg/dl, the study found.

Researchers from various universities, including the University of
Washington and Harvard University, tested more than 2,000 seniors’
glucose levels. After about seven years, they retested the older adults
and found that slightly more than 500 had developed dementia. Almost all
had higher average glucose levels, which correlated with an increased
risk for dementia.

The report notes that ditching vending machine snacks and sugary treats might not help in warding off high blood sugar levels. 

“Your body turns your food into glucose, so your blood sugar levels
depend not only on what you eat but also on your individual metabolism:
how your body handles your food,” said first author Paul K. Crane, M.D.,
M.P.H., an associate professor of medicine at the UW School of
Medicine, adjunct associate professor of health services at the UW
School of Public Health, and affiliate investigator at Group Health
Research Institute.

Of course this also comes on the heels of something we just published related to diabetes, depression and its impact on dementia.

Depression in patients with
type 2 diabetes was associated with greater cognitive decline in a study
of almost 3,000 individuals who participated in a clinical trial,
according to a report published by JAMA Psychiatry.

Depression and diabetes are among the most common
illnesses in older populations. Up to 20 percent of adult patients with
type 2 diabetes meet the criteria for major depression. 

Both depression and diabetes appear to be associated with an increased risk for dementia, Mark D. Sullivan, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Washington, Seattle, and colleagues write.


Of course as I often write, preventing diabetes is pretty much in our own control.