A new study published in the Karolinska Institutet journal Diabetes Care has found that both prediabetes and type 2 diabetes are associated with accelerated brain aging, but there's some good news in the study, suggesting that healthy lifestyle choices may be able to counteract this harmful association.
Investigating the relationship between brain aging and diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is a known risk factor for dementia, but it was unclear whether the early stages of the disease influence brain ageing in people without dementia. This comprehensive study used deep machine learning techniques and magnetic resonance imaging (WRI) scans in over 31,000 people aged 40 to 70 years enrolled in UK Biobank to show that pre-diabetes and diabetes may be associated with accelerated brain ageing.
result
The results showed that both prediabetes (0.5 years) and diabetes (2.3 years) were associated with an older brain age than chronological age, with people with poorly controlled diabetes appearing to be more affected, with their brain age being more than four years older than their chronological age.
Reduced relevance
The researchers pointed to findings that the gap between brain age and chronological age widens over time among people with diabetes, and that the association between brain age and chronological age decreases among people who refrain from smoking and excessive alcohol consumption and have higher levels of physical activity.
“An older looking brain compared to chronological age may indicate a deviation from the normal ageing process and be an early warning sign of dementia,” said Abigail Dove, a PhD student at the Department of Neurobiology, Care Science and Sociology at Karolinska Institutet and lead author of the study. “On the positive side, it appears that people with diabetes can influence their brain health through healthy living.”
Ongoing research
The study is not yet complete as follow-up scans are ongoing and researchers continue to explore the link between brain aging and diabetes over the long term.
“The prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the population is high and increasing,” says Abigail Dove, “and we hope that our research will help prevent cognitive impairment and dementia in people with diabetes and prediabetes.”
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References/Sources/Material sources:
https://news.ki.se/a-healthy-lifestyle-may-counteract-diabetes-associated-brain-aging
https://ki.se/en
http://dx.doi.org/10.2337/dc24-0860
https://www.ukbiobank.ac.uk
https://worldhealth.net/news/study-links-nutrients-with-swer-brain-aging/
https://worldhealth.net/news/3-months-normal-mild-exercise-may-enhance-brain-health/
