Type 2 diabetes and prediabetes are linked to faster brain aging, based on a recent study. The encouraging news is that adopting a healthy lifestyle may help counteract these effects.
According to a recent study from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, published in the journal Diabetes Care, type 2 diabetes and prediabetes are linked to accelerated brain aging. Fortunately, maintaining a healthy lifestyle may help mitigate this impact.
While type 2 diabetes is known to increase the risk of dementia, the effects of diabetes and its early stage, prediabetes, on brain aging in individuals without dementia remain unclear. A new brain imaging study has found that both diabetes and prediabetes are associated with quicker brain aging.
The research involved over 31,000 individuals aged 40 to 70 years from the UK Biobank who had undergone brain MRI scans (magnetic resonance imaging). The researchers employed a machine learning technique to assess the brain’s age compared to the individual’s actual age.
Individuals with prediabetes and diabetes showed brain ages that were 0.5 and 2.3 years older than their actual ages, respectively. For those with poorly managed diabetes, their brain appeared over four years older than their chronological age. Additionally, it was observed that the difference between brain age and chronological age slightly increased over time for individuals with diabetes. However, these associations were less pronounced among those who engaged in regular physical activity and refrained from smoking and excessive alcohol consumption.
“Having a brain that looks older than one’s actual age could suggest a departure from typical aging and might serve as an early indicator of dementia,” explains Abigail Dove, the study’s lead author and a PhD student at the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, at Karolinska Institutet. “On a positive note, it appears that individuals with diabetes have the potential to improve their brain health through a healthy lifestyle.”
A small number of participants had repeat MRI data available. Researchers are currently conducting follow-up MRI scans and continuing to investigate the relationship between diabetes and brain aging over time.
“With the increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the population, we hope our findings will contribute to preventing cognitive decline and dementia in those affected by diabetes and prediabetes,” says Abigail Dove.
The study received primary funding from the Swedish Alzheimer’s Foundation, the Dementia Research Fund, the Swedish Research Council, and Forte (the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life, and Welfare). No conflicts of interest have been reported.
