STUDY: Type 2 Diabetes associated with Brain Degeneration

Type 2 diabetes— long known to have an adverse effect on the brain— has now been linked with the loss of brain matter.

Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), researchers studied the brain structures of 614 patients with a mean age of 62, who had all been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes for an average of 10 years. They found that long-term diabetes was associated with the greatest loss of brain tissue – suggesting brain atrophy.

“It’d been thought that most, if not all, of the effect of diabetes on the brain was due to vascular disease that diabetics get and, therefore, stroke,” lead study author Dr. R. Nick Bryan, chair and professor emeritus of the department of radiology at the Perleman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, told FoxNews.com. “We found that in addition to that, there’s sort of diffuse loss of brain tissue, atrophy… we think may have a direct effect of the diabetes on the brain.”

Linky

The findings suggest that for every 10 years of diabetes duration, the brain of a diabetes patient looks approximately two years older than that of a non-diabetic person – with regards to gray matter volume.

Researchers noted that the greatest reduction of volume was seen in the brain’s gray matter, where the organ’s neurons are located. The shrinkage of gray matter is often regarded as the start of the neurodegenerative process. Since patients with diabetes have been previously shown to have a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease, the findings suggest cognitive changes may be related to neurodegeneration.

They not saying all people with diabetes will get Alzheimer’s, but instead are suggesting that many of them will have worse cognition and worse thinking ability as they get older

This is just another reason why it is extremely important to get Diabetes under control

i totally agree. i've read of a "diabetes type iii" that results in alzheimer

a reply to: snarky412

Diabetes Mellitus type II is a nasty disease which can be easily cured: a healthy diet and moderate exercise is all you need. I know of a 7 year old boy who died locally due to his obesity and sedentary habits, which brought all sort of health problems: diabetes type II, poor kidney and liver function, breathing problems.......but it was too late to save him.

Back to the OP: the excess sugar seems to shrink grey matter which is vital for our sensory perception (pain, touch, etc). They used to think the shrinkage was one of the damaging effects of diabetes on capillaries, but now it seems that it's just how the brain handles excess sugar........it simply can't handle it and shrinks!

Let see if they can find out in which stage this occurs.

Thanks for sharing!

I always knew that for being diabetic i had several more chance of get schizophrenia, also i have noted that over time its harder for me to think and focus, i always though the glucose must be frying my brain but never wanted to believe it and just rationalize it as getting older.

I cannot control myself, i don't drink i don't eat sweets but its not enough i need to keep a strict diet I cannot follow when I'm at work and use the correct amounts of insulin, that i don't like to use as i get more hypoglycemia than what i feel of a benefit.

I will die young an i will live bad my final years/months, anyways that is what is being sick, even is if of something so common and seemingly trivial as diabetes, I wont do anything significant in my time, I know this but I'm not sad as I feel that thanks to the times I live in I could cheat death 10 years now, made some things and had a son to carry my name, if he or one of his do something important them it all be worth it and ill be redeem otherwise i would just be another dumb that could not control his levels and wasted his life for something as simple as not controlling his mouth and munching all that he found in his way

a reply to: Agartha

Type 1 like me lacks other things as C peptide that cause neurological problems too

a reply to: Indigent

Hi Indigent! Your diabetes is different but you don't have to have a special diet, as long as you try to avoid sugary drinks and eat a low GI diet, that's enough. And I know you have to work hard to be healthy: you should avoid smoking, alcohol and should exercise at least half hour every day........but I do that without having your condition, just because I don't want to be ill.

Life expectancy for somebody with Diabetes type I is 77 years for male and 81 for females........so whatever gender you are you can still achieve as much as those without your disease.....and even more!!

Medicine is advancing constantly and they may even find a cure in 20 years......so don't give up!!

For anyone suffering from diabetes, there are some options.

An organic-style paleo diet has been shown to normalize blood sugar.

Apple Cidar Vinegar taken before meals has also been proven to improve insulin sensitivity.

Cinnamon has also been shown to help improve glucose levels.

And the Ayurveda herbal medicine Neem has also been shown to have positive effects on insulin/blood sugar.

Hope that helps someone out there!

a reply to: snarky412

GREAT find - important. ...Sounds like an epigenetic effect to me, but need to see more data.

F&S