A Pennington Biomedical Research Center researcher says type 2 diabetics can improve brain function with consistent control of blood sugar levels versus only losing weight and increasing exercise. Director of Biomedical Imaging, Owen Carmichael says type 2 diabetes doubles your risk of developing cognitive impairment and dementia, including Alzheimer’s.
“But this data is telling us not necessarily, if you are diagnosed with diabetes there are steps you can take to try to prevent those brain problems in the future. For example, controlling your blood sugar,” says Carmichael.
Carmichael says many people think once you are diagnosed with diabetes it is just a matter of taking medication, but in reality, it’s a lifestyle change, and controlling your blood sugar is not as easy as it sounds.
“Well really your blood sugar depends on what you eat, how much you eat when you eat, and how much physical activity you get as well,” says Carmichael.
Carmichael says this news is imperative to reducing the long-term cognitive issues and losing weight and exercising after cognitive issues have begun might not restore verbal learning skills and overall memory.
“But in our hands, it does seem like the most important thing is to get that blood sugar under control,” says Carmichael.
The study examined 11-hundred participants and cognitive tests were conducted between 8 and 13 years after they started the study.
Reported by Brooke Thorington
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