Diabetes May Impair
Mental Function in Elderly

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Elderly women who suffer from type 2 diabetes may be at risk of developing memory problems, results of a study suggest.

However, taking medication to control the disease appeared to slow the loss of mental function among patients, according to the report published in the June issue of Diabetes Care.

``These results add to the importance of preventing diabetes and controlling diabetes,'' the study's lead author Dr. Francine Grodstein of Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, told Reuters Health. ``Both healthy people and those with diabetes should recognize the importance of weight control, exercise and a healthy diet.''

Grodstein and her colleagues administered four tests measuring the mental function of more than 2,300 women aged 70 to 78 years, between 1995 and 1999. The team also collected medical information every 2 years, beginning in 1976, and compared test scores of women with and without diabetes.

Women with type 2 diabetes scored slightly lower on all four tests and were more than twice as likely to fare poorly on a score that combined the results of all four tests, the report indicates. What's more, the longer women had lived with diabetes, the more likely they were to score poorly on the tests.

Of the 82 women with diabetes, 31 (about 38%) were taking medication for their disorder. Those taking medication had similar test scores as women without diabetes, indicating that medication may help prevent a decline in the mental function of people with type 2 diabetes.

``Based on calculations within the women in our study, we found that having diabetes was equivalent to aging 4 years in terms of scores on one of the four tests,'' the researchers conclude. ``Clearly, further investigation is warranted because both diabetes and poor mental function are common conditions among elderly individuals.''

Type 2 diabetes is usually diagnosed in adults over the age of 40. It occurs when the body no longer responds to insulin, the hormone that clears glucose (sugar) from the blood after a meal and deposits it into cells throughout the body to use as fuel. Over time, high blood glucose can raise the risk of heart disease, kidney failure, blindness and lower limb amputations.

``Diabetes leads to problems with blood vessels throughout the body, and probably in the brain too,'' Grodstein said. ``Also, there are insulin receptors in the brain, so insulin problems in diabetics may also affect the brain directly.''

SOURCE: Diabetes Care 2001;24:1060-1065.

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