There are many reasons to avoid high blood sugar. Unmanaged blood sugar can lead to increased risk for heart disease, nerve damage, and diabetes. Despite the general awareness on the effects of diabetes, many are still unaware of their impact to the brain. Studies have shown that diabetes can not only increase the risk of dementia, but also hasten its development.
The Importance of Understanding the Link
Both diabetes and dementia have been on the rise recently. Approximately “one in three Canadians is living with diabetes or prediabetes. The majority of those with a diagnosis have Type 2 diabetes, where insulin produced in the body is unable to control blood sugar levels.
Does Diabetes Increase the Risk of Dementia?
Diabetes can lead to cardiovascular disease. Therefore, an increased risk to cardiovascular diseases can directly increase the risk for dementia.
Much of the scientific research “on the diabetes-dementia link involves Type 2 diabetes, which studies show roughly doubles dementia risk and may cause it to develop a few years earlier.”
The Journal of the American Medical Association the age of onset of diabetes affects the risk of developing dementia. Of the 10,095 participants the trend indicated that the younger a person was at the onset of Type 2 diabetes the higher the risk of dementia.
How Does Diabetes Impact the Brain?
Scientists are still exploring the diabetes-dementia link. What is known are the effects that blood sugar levels can impact brain health.
Diabetes heightens the risk of cardiovascular problems “which may damage blood vessels in the brain.” This can also lead to strokes which can, in turn, result in dementia.
The treatment of diabetes can also lead to hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemic is a lower-than-normal blood glucose level. This can damage the hippocampus, the “memory center of the brain.”
Inflammation in the body caused by diabetes can also be a cause of damage to brain cells.
Scientists are also looking at a more direct causal link. They are investigating whether insulin resistance helps create the plaques of beta-amyloid protein which accumulate in the brains of those with Alzheimer’s.
Hope and Solution
Over the past 2 and a half decade, we have witnessed first-hand the devastating effects that a dementia diagnosis can have on families. It’s our hope to see this one day become a downward trend.
Should you need support today as you journey through the day-to-day issues of caring for someone living with symptoms of dementia, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
