Science Current Events | Science News | Brightsurf.com
 
Email a Friend Send to a friend
Printer Friendly Print Diabetes may be associated with increased risk of mild cognitive impairment

Diabetes may be associated with increased risk of mild cognitive impairment

April 10, 2007

Individuals with diabetes may have a higher risk of developing mild cognitive impairment, a condition that involves difficulties with thinking and learning and may be an intermediate step toward Alzheimer's disease, according to a report in the April issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

"Among cardiovascular risk factors, type 2 diabetes mellitus has been consistently related to a higher risk of Alzheimer's disease," the authors write as background information in the article. Mild cognitive impairment-particularly a type known as amnestic mild cognitive impairment, which affects memory more significantly than non-amnestic mild cognitive impairment-is increasingly recognized as a transitional state between normal functioning and Alzheimer's disease.




José A. Luchsinger, M.D., and colleagues at Columbia University Medical Center, New York, studied 918 individuals older than 65 years (average age 75.9) who did not have mild cognitive disorder or dementia when they enrolled between 1992 and 1994. At the beginning of the study and again every 18 months through 2003, each participant underwent an in-person interview and standard assessment, which included a medical history, physical and neurological examination, and a battery of neurological tests that measured learning, memory, reason and language skills, among others. Of the participants, 23.9 percent had diabetes, 68.2 percent had hypertension, 33.9 percent had heart disease and 15 percent had had a stroke.

During an average of 6.1 years of follow-up, 334 individuals developed mild cognitive impairment, including 160 amnestic cases and 174 non-amnestic cases. Diabetes was related to a significantly higher risk of mild cognitive impairment overall and of amnestic mild cognitive impairment specifically after controlling for other factors that may affect risk, including age, ethnic group, years of education and heart and blood vessel disease. "The risk of mild cognitive impairment attributable to diabetes was 8.8 percent for the whole sample, 8.4 percent for African-American persons, 11 percent for Hispanic persons and 4.6 percent for non-Hispanic white persons, reflecting the differences in diabetes prevalence by ethnic group," the authors write.

Diabetes could be related to a higher risk for amnestic mild cognitive impairment by directly affecting the build-up of plaques in the brain, a hallmark characteristic of Alzheimer's disease, the authors note. In addition, cerebrovascular disease-diseases such as stroke that affect the vessels supplying blood to the brain-is related to both diabetes and Alzheimer's disease.

"Our results provide further support to the potentially important independent role of diabetes in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease," the authors conclude. "Diabetes may also be a risk factor for non-amnestic forms of mild cognitive impairment and cognitive impairment, but our analyses need to be repeated in a larger sample."

JAMA and Archives Journals



Related Diabetes Current Events and Diabetes News Articles Diabetes Current Events and Diabetes News RSS Diabetes Current Events and Diabetes News RSS
Antibiotics: Single largest class of drugs causing liver injury
Antibiotics are the single largest class of agents that cause idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (DILI), reports a new study in Gastroenterology, an official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute.

Persistent pollutant may promote obesity
Tributyltin, a ubiquitous pollutant that has a potent effect on gene activity, could be promoting obesity, according to an article in the December issue of BioScience.

Presence of gum disease may help dentists and physicians identify risk for cardiovascular disease
Individuals reporting a history of periodontal disease were more likely to have increased levels of inflammation, a risk factor for heart disease, compared to those who reported no history of periodontal disease.

Drink brewed tea to avoid tooth erosion
Today, the average size soft drink is 20 ounces and contains 17 teaspoons of sugar. More startling is that some citric acids found in fruit drinks are more erosive than hydrochloric or sulfuric acid-which is also known as battery acid.

Understanding how oxidative stress impairs endothelial progenitor cell function
Although its been over a decade since endothelial progenitor cells or EPCs, cells that circulate in the blood repairing and replacing the cells that line blood vessels, were identified, the field is still evolving.

Exercise helps overweight children reduce anger expression
Regular exercise seems to reduce anger expression in overweight but otherwise healthy children, researchers said.

Sealing off portion of intestinal lining treats obesity, resolves diabetes in animal model
Lining the upper portion of the small intestine with an impermeable sleeve led to both weight loss and restoration of normal glucose metabolism in an animal model of obesity-induced diabetes.

Potassium loss from blood pressure drugs may explain higher risk of adult diabetes
Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered that a drop in blood potassium levels caused by diuretics commonly prescribed for high blood pressure could be the reason why people on those drugs are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

Why women should eat less, move more and consider wearing transdermal HRT patches during menopause
Weight and appetite experts from around the world met at a conference in Bangkok earlier this year to discuss sex differences in obesity. One line of discussion looked at factors leading to women's weight gain during menopause, and how it might be avoided.

Heart patients are often not treated in accordance with guidelines
Many patients with cardiovascular disease are not given adequate drug therapy. This is the result of an international study. In the current edition of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International, Uwe Zeimer et al. present the German results of this prospective, one-year survey.
More Diabetes Current Events and Diabetes News Articles


The First Year: Type 2 Diabetes: An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed (First Year, The)
by Gretchen Becker

After Gretchen Becker was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 1996, she educated herself on every aspect of this chronic condition — by reading medical and scientific books and journals, talking with doctors and listening to her own body. In 2001, she marshaled everything she had learned as a "patient-expert" into the first edition of this book, which she has now completely updated and revised....



Diabetes For Dummies (For Dummies (Health & Fitness))
by Alan L., MD Rubin

Covers the latest glucose meters and insulin treatments The straight facts on treating diabetes successfully and living a full life Want to know how to manage diabetes? Leading diabetes expert Dr. Alan Rubin gives you reassuring, authoritative guidance in putting together a state-of-the-art treatment program. You'll learn about all the advances in monitoring glucose, the latest...



Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution: The Complete Guide to Achieving Normal Blood Sugars
by Richard K. Bernstein

The standard text on living with diabetes, newly revised and updated with all the latest scientific findings. Since its first publication in 1997, DR. BERNSTEIN'S DIABETES SOLUTION has become the treatment of choice in the medical field. In this revised and updated edition of his work, Dr. Bernstein provides an accessible, detailed guide to his revolutionary approach to normalizing...



The 30-Day Diabetes Miracle: Lifestyle Center of America's Complete Program to Stop Diabetes, Restore Health,and Build Natural Vitality
by Franklin House, Stuart Seale, Ian Blake Newman

A revolutionary program for combating and reversing diabetes. Over the past ten years, Lifestyle Center of America has emerged as the center in the country that offers a proven-successful program to combat diabetes-and even reverse its adverse effects on the body. Now available in book form for the first time, LCA's program enables individuals to actually get to the root of their problems by...



The 4-Ingredient Diabetes Cookbook: Simple, Quick, and Delicious Recipes Using Just 4 Ingredients or Less
by Nancy Hughes



The Official Pocket Guide to Diabetic Exchanges
by American Diabetes Association

Every day, every meal, millions and millions of people count on the world-famous Exchange Lists for Meal Planning to make sure they're choosing the right kinds of foods and portion sizes from the various food groups. Now people with diabetes can take the Exchange Lists with them to the grocery store or to restaurants with the Official Pocket Guide to Diabetic Exchanges. Measuring just 3.5" x 6",...



Betty Crocker's Diabetes Cookbook: Everyday Meals, Easy as 1-2-3
by Betty Crocker Editors

At last! This special cookbook puts flavor and choice back on the menu for people with diabetes and their families Betty Crocker, America's most trusted friend in the kitchen, has teamed up with the International Diabetes Center (IDC)--one of the leading medical centers--to create an indispensable source of easy-to-make recipes and up-to-the-minute food and nutrition information for the...



Reversing Diabetes: Reduce or Even Eliminate Your Dependence on Insulin or Oral Drugs
by Julian Whitaker

In a completely revised and updated edition of REVERSING DIABETES, Dr Julian Whitaker offers a comprehensive life-style programme that has helped more than 10,000 diabetic patients. The good news is that many diabetics can control their condition - naturally and effectively - with diet and exercise. Along with helping to reduce or even eliminate dependancy on medication, it can help diabetics...



Dr. Neal Barnard's Program for Reversing Diabetes: The Scientifically Proven System for Reversing Diabetes without Drugs
by Neal D. Barnard

Until Dr. Barnard’s scientific breakthrough, most health professionals believed that once you developed diabetes, you were stuck with it—and could anticipate one complication after another, from worsening eyesight and nerve symptoms to heart and kidney problems. But as this groundbreaking work reveals, this simply is not true. In a series of studies—the most recent funded by the National...



Diabetes & Heart Healthy Meals for Two
by American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association

Twice as tasty . . . but with half the ingredients! People with diabetes want heart-healthy recipes, since heart disease strikes people with diabetes twice as often as the rest of the population. But they also want recipes that taste great. In Diabetes & Heart Healthy Meals for Two, the two largest health associations in America team up to provide recipes that are simple, flavorful, and...

© 2008 BrightSurf.com