The high blood sugar level may shrink the brain

 

September 4, 2012

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According to a study published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology “People whose blood sugar level is at the upper end of the normal range may be at increased risk of brain shrinkage, which occurs with aging and diseases such as dementia.”

The study author Nicolas Cherbuin, Australian National University in Canberra, said: “Numerous studies have shown a link between type 2 diabetes and brain shrinkage and dementia, but until now it was unknown whether people with sugar in the blood in the upper normal range experience these same effects.”

During the research 249 people aged 60 to 64 were involved who had a level of blood sugar within the normal range, and brain scans were performed at baseline and, four years later.

The results: “those with higher levels of fasting blood sugar in the normal range were more likely to show a loss of brain volume in the hippocampus and amygdala, areas that are involved in memory and cognitive skills, which those with lower levels of blood sugar.”