A new study published in the journal Diabetes Care from the Karolinska Institutet has shown that both prediabetes and type 2 diabetes are associated with accelerated brain aging. However, the study also has some good news, suggesting that healthy lifestyle choices may be able to counteract the detrimental association.
Investigating the association between brain aging and diabetes
While type 2 diabetes is a known risk factor for dementia it was unclear whether or not the early stages of the condition could affect brain aging in those without dementia. This comprehensive study now shows that prediabetes and diabetes can be linked to accelerated brain aging using deep machine learning techniques and magnetic resonance imaging (WRI) scans from over 31,000 people between the ages of 40 and 70 years old who were enrolled in the UK Biobank.
Results
The results showed that both prediabetes (0.5 years) and diabetes (2.3 years) were associated with brains that were older than their chronological ages. Among those with poorly controlled diabetes, their brains appeared to be affected more, with ages more than 4 years older than their chronological age.
Reducing the association
The researchers noted finding that the gap between brain age and chronological age increased over time among those with diabetes and that the associations were reduced among those with high physical activity levels who abstained from smoking and heavy alcohol intake.
“Having an older-appearing brain for one’s chronological age can indicate deviation from the normal ageing process and may constitute an early warning sign for dementia,” says the study’s lead author Abigail Dove, a PhD student at the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet. “On the positive side, it seems that people with diabetes may be able to influence their brain health through healthy living.”
Ongoing research
This work is not complete as follow-up scans are ongoing, and the researchers are continuing to investigate the association between brain aging and diabetes over time.
“There’s a high and growing prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the population,” says Abigail Dove. “We hope that our research will help prevent cognitive impairment and dementia in people with diabetes and prediabetes.”
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References/Sources/Materials provided by:
https://news.ki.se/a-healthy-lifestyle-may-counteract-diabetes-associated-brain-ageing
http://dx.doi.org/10.2337/dc24-0860
https://worldhealth.net/news/study-links-nutrients-with-slower-brain-aging/
https://worldhealth.net/news/risk-factors-faster-brain-aging/
https://worldhealth.net/news/3-months-regular-mild-exercise-may-enhance-brain-health/
