Diabetes Can Age the Brain, but a Healthy Lifestyle Could Slow the Clock

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Diabetes Can Age the Brain, but a Healthy Lifestyle Could Slow the Clock
Type 2 diabetes is a well-established risk factor for cognitive impairment, and by some estimates, it may double a person’s chances of developing dementia.

Now a large study comparing brain scans of more than 31,000 people between the ages of 40 and 70 has linked type 2 diabetes and prediabetes with accelerated brain aging.

The findings, however, highlight that physical activity, abstention from smoking, and avoiding heavy alcohol consumption could help keep brains young.

“Having an older-appearing brain for one’s chronological age can indicate deviation from the normal aging process and may constitute an early warning sign for dementia,” said the lead author, Abigail Dove, a researcher with the Karolinska Institute’s Aging Research Center in Sweden, in a statement. “On the positive side, it seems that people with diabetes may be able to influence their brain health through healthy living.”

Elevated Blood Sugar Could Add Years to Brain Age

For the analysis, the researchers referred to medical information from more than 31,000 dementia-free adults from the UK Biobank, which included measures of cardiometabolic risk factors (obesity, hypertension, and cholesterol) as well as lifestyle behaviors like smoking, drinking, and physical activity.

According to the data, 53 percent had normal blood glucose, 43 percent were considered prediabetic, and 4 percent had type 2 diabetes.

By using a machine learning model, the researchers were able to estimate brain age in relation to a patient’s chronological age.

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