Diabetes Developed at Midlife May Affect Brain Function in Old Age

By Diane Fennell Developing Type 2 diabetes during middle age can affect mental function in later years by shrinking the brain, according to research recently published in the journal Neurology. Approximately 26 million people in the United States have Type 2 diabetes, while another 79 million have prediabetes and are at increased risk of developing Type 2. To determine the associations of Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure with mental function, researchers looked at 1,437 adults with a median age of 80 years who did not have dementia. Using medical records, the participants were placed into three groups: those who developed diabetes or high blood pressure in midlife (ages 40 to 64), those who developed one or both of the conditions in late life (age 65 years or older), and those who had never developed the conditions. The average age for developing diabetes was 56.2 for midlife and 71.9 for late life, while the average age of developing high blood pressure was 52.7 for midlife and 71.6 for late life. The participants had their thinking and memory skills regularly tested, with any signs of impairment being noted. They also underwent magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, scans to check their brains for signs of damage. The researchers found that, compared to people who did not have diabetes, those who had developed the condition at midlife had brains that were an average of 2.9% smaller, with hippocampi (a region of the brain that plays a crucial role in memory) an a...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - Category: Diabetes Authors: Source Type: blogs