Cognitive Impairment: An Important Complication of Type 2 Diabetes
According to the National Diabetes Fact Sheets, 2011, nearly 8.3% of the US population suffers from diabetes. Moreover, nearly 1.9 million individuals aged 20 years or more were diagnosed with diabetes in 2010. Also, it has been estimated that nearly 79 million Americans suffer from pre-diabetes conditions.
Diabetes is the seventh major cause of death in the US. It causes several medical complications, such as organ failure, limb amputation, blindness, cardiovascular diseases, stroke and cancer. One of the most severe complications of diabetes is cognitive impairment and dementia.
Studies Suggest Type 2 Diabetics Can Cause Diminished Cognitive Performance
According to a study conducted at the NYU Langone Medical Center, obese adolescents suffering from type2 diabetes are more likely to experience subtle brain abnormalities, poor memory and diminished cognitive performance.
Antonio Convit of the NYU Langone Medical Center, along with co-researchers, observed 18 obese adolescents suffering from type 2 diabetes. They performed MRI brain scans and cognitive testing on the participants. Their test results were compared to those of equally obese controls from the same ethnic and socioeconomic background but without any signs of insulin resistance or pre-diabetes.
The MRI brain structural analysis results revealed that the adolescents with type2 diabetes had reduced volume of white matter and increased amounts of cerebrospinal fluid space, as compared to the non-diabetic controls. Moreover, the diabetic adolescents also performed worse than their non-diabetic counterparts in the cognitive areas tested, including estimated intellectual functioning, psychomotor efficiency, verbal memory, reading and spelling. This can significantly affect their academic performance at school.
However, the researchers claimed that the deficits can be reversed by improving insulin sensitivity among these children through regular exercise and weight loss.
For more infomation about diabetes or if you are interested in learning more about Type 2 Diabetes, or for more healthy living suggestions that may make it easier to live with diabetes, please consult a physician.
Diabetes is the seventh major cause of death in the US. It causes several medical complications, such as organ failure, limb amputation, blindness, cardiovascular diseases, stroke and cancer. One of the most severe complications of diabetes is cognitive impairment and dementia.
Studies Suggest Type 2 Diabetics Can Cause Diminished Cognitive Performance
According to a study conducted at the NYU Langone Medical Center, obese adolescents suffering from type2 diabetes are more likely to experience subtle brain abnormalities, poor memory and diminished cognitive performance.
Antonio Convit of the NYU Langone Medical Center, along with co-researchers, observed 18 obese adolescents suffering from type 2 diabetes. They performed MRI brain scans and cognitive testing on the participants. Their test results were compared to those of equally obese controls from the same ethnic and socioeconomic background but without any signs of insulin resistance or pre-diabetes.
The MRI brain structural analysis results revealed that the adolescents with type2 diabetes had reduced volume of white matter and increased amounts of cerebrospinal fluid space, as compared to the non-diabetic controls. Moreover, the diabetic adolescents also performed worse than their non-diabetic counterparts in the cognitive areas tested, including estimated intellectual functioning, psychomotor efficiency, verbal memory, reading and spelling. This can significantly affect their academic performance at school.
However, the researchers claimed that the deficits can be reversed by improving insulin sensitivity among these children through regular exercise and weight loss.
For more infomation about diabetes or if you are interested in learning more about Type 2 Diabetes, or for more healthy living suggestions that may make it easier to live with diabetes, please consult a physician.
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