The increasing rate of individuals with type 2 diabetes is very alarming. It is more common in the old age. Two of the main factors why the older population is more vulnerable to diabetes are obesity and inactivity.
When diagnosed with diabetes, you become at risk of acquiring heart disease and stroke. However, people don’t realize that diabetes can also increase their chance of having dementia. Now, how does diabetes cause dementia? What is the link between these two conditions?
There are a lot of reasons why type 2 diabetes triggers dementia.
- Reason 1: One factor is the impact of diabetes on heart health. In medical science, heart health is directly linked to the brain health. Heart disease and hypertension can lead to strokes. Dementia is likely to develop after a stroke.
- Reason 2: Besides stroke, abnormal blood sugar levels can also increase someone’s chances of having dementia.
- Reason 3: Hypoglycemia. While strict control of diabetes reduces the risks of stroke and heart disease, it can also trigger hypoglycemia, dementia, and memory loss. When the body has blood glucose deficiency, the brain is most affected. It causes severe drowsiness and dizziness that affects the brain’s memory center.
There is a reason why Alzheimer’s disease is called type 3 diabetes. The biological features of diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease are somewhat similar. This happens because of insulin resistance leads to impairment in the brain that causes Alzheimer’s disease.
How to lessen your risk of diabetes-acquired dementia?
- Conduct daily exercise – at least 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Eat a healthy and nutritious diet (ensure that your food will not increase your blood sugar levels).
- Avoid being overweight.
- Treat hypertension or high blood pressure.
- Limit your intake of carbohydrate-rich foods.
- Abstain from smoking.
Discuss other options to control your blood sugar to prevent dementia with your health professional. You may opt to receive medication if you already have diabetes. Managing your condition well is enough to prevent diabetes-related complications from happening.
