Research has shown that high blood sugar could put you at higher risk of cognitive decline and dementia even if you don’t have fully developed diabetes. Lower levels of blood sugar, on the other hand, are associated with better brain health.
Based on previous research – and now our own finding, we can certainly say that prediabetes is a high-risk state for people to be in and that we now know that it is certainly associated with greater risk of cognitive decline and vascular dementia.
KNOWING THE RISKS
Individuals with diagnosed diabetes are, for several complex reasons that is yet to be fully understood, more likely to have worse brain health in older age. The brain damage has been highlighted to be associated with sustained elevation in blood sugar levels.
It is imperative to note that those in the prediabetes state are more likely to have a smaller hippocampus and greater volume of white matter hyperintensities on their brain scans – the latter being a measure of vascular brain damage.
It has been proven that people with prediabetes perform more poorly on cognitive function tests than those with normal blood sugar – the reason being that prediabetic people are often not under therapeutic care and walk around with levels of blood sugar that are problematic but not controlled.
The importance of monitoring blood sugar levels in order to intervene early to prevent damage to the brain, which sometimes can be irreversible, cannot be overemphasized.
Individuals with prediabetes can reduce their risk of developing diabetes by having a healthy, balanced diet, being more active, getting good sleep, and maintaining a healthy weight.
At Comfort Nutrition Services, we are committed to counseling and assisting our clients, fans and followers to reach their healthy nutritional goals.