Blood Sugar Seems to Affect Memory
Lower glucose levels correlate to less cognitive decline
 (HealthDay News) -- Most people know that diabetics who control their blood sugar levels can ward off physical complications of the disease, such as blindness and amputation.
But research now indicates that controlling blood sugar also has a positive effect on a lesser-known complication: memory problems.
"The more [study participants] lowered their blood glucose levels, the better," study co-author Christopher Ryan, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, told HealthDay. "Cognitive impairment may be reversible and preventable."
Dr. Richard Nesto, chairman of cardiovascular medicine at the Lahey Clinic in Massachusetts, said that "research has shown that people with type 2 diabetes are up to twice as likely as the general population to experience cognitive decline…and even mild cognitive impairment can negatively impact learning and memory and may impact ability to perform routine tasks."
An estimated 17 million people in the United States have type 2 diabetes.
Common cognitive difficulties experienced by people with type 2 diabetes include difficulty learning new information and remembering that information, said study co-author Dr. Mark Strachan of Western General Hospital in Edinburgh, Scotland. This complication may affect how a person manages the disease.
"We have to keep in mind that the presence of even mild memory problems can affect quality of life in a variety of ways, including the ability to follow complex medical regimens, remembering whether or not you took your medication or tested your blood sugar," Ryan said. "Mild memory problems can have a major impact on patients' adherence with medical management."
The study, the largest to look at the effect of glycemic control on cognitive function in people with type 2 diabetes, set out to determine if there was a relationship between the two factors.
To that end, the researchers recruited 141 people who, other than having been diagnosed with diabetes, were relatively healthy. The average age of the participants was 60.
All of the participants took the drug metformin and then were randomized to take Avandia or glyburide. Fasting plasma glucose was measured at the start of the 24-week trial, and all of the participants took psychological tests to ascertain cognitive function. Three categories of function were assessed: learning ability, cognitive efficiency and working memory.
"We found that in both arms of study there was a significant improvement in working memory across the 24 weeks," Strachan said. "And in one of the major tests that made up the working memory domain, we saw that there was a 30 percent improvement in errors that patients made across the study."
In both groups, working memory improvements were in line with better control of blood sugar levels.
"We know that good glycemic control and strict management of other diabetes-related parameters is good for your long-term health," Strachan said. "This is one further reason why we should be striving to get good glycemic control."
On the Web
To learn more about type 2 diabetes, visit the American Diabetes Association.
Author: Anne Thompson
SOURCES: Richard Nesto, M.D., chairman, Cardiovascular Medicine Department, Lahey Clinic, Burlington, Mass.; Christopher Ryan, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pa.; Mark Strachan, M.D., Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, Scotland; June 5, 2004, presentation, American Diabetes Association annual meeting, Orlando, Fla.
Publication Date: June 30, 2005
Copyright © 2005 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.
|
Print this page |
©1998-2009 Trinity Mother Frances Hospitals and Clinics
