Diagnosing diabetes at a younger age increases the risk of dementia: study

Diabetes is known to raise the risk of long-term health complications, including cognitive decline, but scientists now suggest that age of onset also plays a key role.

Recent test published in PLOS ONE showed that being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes before the age of 50 can significantly raise the risk of developing dementia.

To understand the link, researchers analyzed data from the Health and Retirement Study (2002–2016), which included 1,213 U.S. adults aged 50 and older with type 2 diabetes. They used blood tests to confirm that at the beginning of the study, participants they suffered from dementia. Over a 14-year period, 216 participants (17.8%) developed dementia.

The analysis Earlier diagnosis of diabetes has been shown to raise the risk of dementia. People diagnosed before age 50 were 1.9 times more likely to develop dementia compared to people diagnosed at age 70 and over. Also, diagnoses at the age of 50–59 and 60–69 years increased the risk by 1.72 and 1.7 times, respectively.

The most striking finding was that for each year of earlier diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, the risk of developing dementia increased by 1.9%.

“Our study suggests that earlier onset of type 2 diabetes may have cognitive consequences and highlights the need to develop dementia prevention strategies that address both diabetes and obesity,” Xiang Qi, first author of the study, said in a press release.

The study did not examine how the onset of diabetes increases the risk of dementia, but researchers suggest factors such as high blood sugar, insulin resistance and inflammation may play a role. They also noted that obesity increases the risk of dementia if diabetes is diagnosed before age 50, indicating that it may be another contributing factor to the disease.

“While we don’t know for sure why an earlier diagnosis of diabetes would raise the risk of dementia, previous research shows that people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in middle age may experience more vascular complications, penniless blood sugar control and insulin resistance – all These factors are known risk factors for cognitive impairment,” said Bei Wu, lead author of the study.

“Our study highlights the importance of age in diagnosing diabetes and suggests that specifically targeting obesity – either through diet and exercise or perhaps medication – may play a role in preventing dementia in younger adults with diabetes,” Wu said.