In the United States, nearly 80 million people, or one in four, have diabetes or pre-diabetes. What’s worse, diabetes among children and teens has also skyrocketed.

    The most recent data¹,² reveals that incidence of type 2 diabetes among children aged 10-19 rose by 30 percent between 2001 and 2009. The same situation exists in other developed nations.

    In the UK, more than one-third of adults are now pre-diabetic,³ and British researchers warn that this will lead to a massive avalanche of type 2 diabetics in upcoming years, which will have serious consequences for health care and life expectancy.

Diabetes Linked to Faster Decline in Memory

    One of many debilitating health problems associated with type 2 diabetes is a higher risk for dementia. According to one recent study,⁴,⁵,⁶ diabetes ages your brain about five years faster than normal.

    People who are diagnosed with diabetes in their 50s are at a significantly heightened risk for mental decline by the time they’re 70.

    Previous research⁷ has also shown that type 2 diabetics lose more brain volume with age than expected—particularly gray matter. This kind of brain atrophy is yet another contributing factor for dementia.

    According to lead author Elizabeth Selvin, PhD, MPH, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health:⁸

        “The lesson is that to have a healthy brain when you’re 70, you need to eat right and exercise when you’re 50.

        There is a substantial cognitive decline associated with diabetes, pre-diabetes and poor glucose control in people with diabetes. And we know how to prevent or delay the diabetes associated with this decline…”

The Importance of Healthy Blood Vessels for Proper Brain Function

    A number of different factors play a role in memory decline and dementia. One important factor is the health of your blood vessels, and I’ve previously discussed the links between heart disease and dementia. In fact, the test that predicts your future risk of heart disease is better at predicting your risk of dementia than a specific dementia-risk test.⁹

    In the featured study, diabetics were found to suffer a 19 percent greater decline in mental acuity compared to non-diabetics over the course of 20 years. Those with pre-diabetes were also at a significantly increased risk for memory decline.