Even mild elevations in blood sugar increase risk of dementia

An study published in the New England Journal Medicine in August 2013 evaluated the risk of dementia in patients with increased glucose levels but without diabetes. Participants included 839 men and 1228 women without dementia at baseline and was "adjusted for age, sex, study cohort, educational level, level of exercise, blood pressure, and status with respect to coronary and cerebrovascular diseases, atrial fibrillation, smoking, and treatment for hypertension."

"During a median follow-up of 6.8 years, dementia developed in 524 participants (74 with diabetes and 450 without). Among participants without diabetes, higher average glucose levels within the preceding 5 years were related to an increased risk of dementia (P=0.01); with a glucose level of 115 mg per deciliter ..."

The authors concluded:

"Our results suggest that higher glucose levels may be a risk factor for dementia, even among persons without diabetes. (Funded by the National Institutes of Health.)"

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Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23924004