Does Diabetes Increase The Risk Of Mild Cognitive Impairment?

Could adult diabetics be at an increased risk of mild cognitive impairment? This type of impairment is often considered a precursor to Alzheimer’s disease.

Health experts already knew that type 2 diabetes can be a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. The evidence has been less clear on whether diabetes is related to a higher risk of mild cognitive impairment, often considered a bridge state between normalcy and Alzheimer’s.

With new research comes new questions. Will there be evidence that shows maintaining a healthy blood sugar will lower the chance of developing mild cognitive impairment like in so many other diseases that are linked to diabetes.? Or will this be viewed as an end result that is inevitable? Will this fuel the fire for non complaint diabetics?

I know, I know, so many questions. This is why I love research, you can set out to answer anything that you could conceivably ponder.

For this study, Luchsinger and his colleagues looked at 918 men and women older than 65 (average age 75.9) who did not have mild cognitive impairment or dementia at the start of the study.

During follow-up that averaged 6.1 years, 334 of the participants developed mild cognitive impairment. And people with diabetes had a higher risk of having mild cognitive impairment, especially amnestic MCI, which affects memory more than non-amnestic MCI.

What was the contributing factor that led to an increased amount of cognitive impairment among the participants?

Diabetes could contribute to plaque build-up in the brain, with such a build-up a hallmark of Alzheimer’s, the study authors said.

All in all, this type of pioneering research is welcomed and applauded. As always though, this is in the very elementary stages and more research is needed.

via Washington Post. com