Diabetes and impaired mental abilities
Poor control of the disease could affect memory , cognitive speed and flexibility of mind from 40 years
Do not wear tight control of diabetes is often very serious consequences. Neuropathy, cardiovascular disease, retinopathy, hearing and neurological problems should be prevented, and that are often irreversible complications. Neurological problems resulting from poor control and develop without symptoms may be apparent only after 40 years. For this reason, experts insist on prevention and early detection to at least slow the rapid deterioration of mental function that occurs mainly in the early years of evolution.
Among the chronic complications of diabetes include retinopathy (Inflammatory diseases affecting the retina) , neuropathy, nephropathy or kidney disease, Cardiovascular problems and cognitive impairment. Scientists have also recently pointed to the deterioration of the inner ear, which can cause mild to severe deafness. All these diseases can be prevented in a high grade, if you keep proper control of the disease.
Loss of mental functions
A recent study published in Diabetes Care ” , conducted by researchers Dutchmen, also concludes that the disease can impair memory, cognitive speed and flexibility of mind in middle age. The results also show that memory loss progresses to diabetes , whereas cognitive slowing occurs in the first five years and then stops.
The data concern the study that was conducted in 2,600 people between 45 and 70, suggest that patients do not perceive mental deterioration, While it begins to accumulate 40. This study confirms previous test results related to the pathology and the deterioration of mental functions , such as the loss of the ability to think quickly and remember words. In five years of follow up, although the alteration of mental function in patients with Type 2 diabetes ( no insulin ) was reduced, was much more significant than the nondiabetic group. This loss of capacity was also notable in people who developed the disease during the study, although they were long-standing patients who had greater mental decline.
Another recent study , published in the British Journal of Psychiatry “, also has focused on its cognitive effects. According to the results, the disease affects the risk of moving from mild cognitive impairment to dementia.
Diet , exercise and drugs:
Dutchman This work has been carried out in patients with type 2 diabetes whose blood sugar levels by increasing the body’s inability to process glucose properly, a problem because the body in using insulin. Usually, the disease develops gradually and follows an lifestyle unhealthy (most of those diagnosed are obese ) or the aging process itself . Can be controlled with proper diet, exercise and drugs.
Among the general strategies for treatment, it is important to control blood glucose ( sugar in the blood) , weight, blood pressure and fats (cholesterol and triglycerides ) and quit and reduce alcohol consumption . To avoid long-term complications, it is recommended that special care for eyes, feet, Skin, heart and oral health, Routines that could delay or prevent the onset of dangerous complications.
Prevention is key. Prediabetes is a condition that is characterized by blood glucose levels higher than normal, but not enough to diagnose diabetes, a previous state could be reversed or at least delayed by up to 58 % with a changing habits. The American Diabetes Association recommends that the people in this situation before to reduce their weight by 5 % to 10 % and make moderate physical activity for 30 minutes a day. One of the tips going to keep the blood glucose levels at adequate levels through diet.
The control and prevention are important: the prevalence in Spain is around 6.5% for the population between 30 and 65, although the figures vary in different studies between 6% and 12%, according to data 2009 of the Ministry of Health and Social Policy. Worldwide, the total number affected will exceed 435 million by 2030 , according to forecasts from the International Diabetes Federation ( IDF).
Most cases of Alzheimer:
It is not the first time that diabetes is associated with neurological risks, in particular, with Alzheimer’s disease. One reason is that the increase in heart problems damages the heart and blood vessels, including the brain, and contributes to the development of this disease. Another reason is that the brain depends on many chemicals to their proper functioning, to become imbalanced if too much insulin. Some of these changes are a factor that fosters the development of the disease. Finally, a high blood sugar causes inflammation that damages brain cells and causes disease.
A 2009 work argued that, somehow, insulin, a hormone that is also very important for memory, it stops working when developing Alzheimer’s. The researchers who discovered the role of insulin even talked of a new type of disease, ” Type 3 diabetes, “according to which the levels of insulin in the brain and its related receptors are lower in people with Alzheimer’s.
