Poor Blood Sugar Control Linked to Cognitive Dysfunction

Thanks to the American Diabetes Association for pointing out this Reuters story about yet another study which illustrates the connection between poor blood sugar control and cognitive problems.

"Elderly diabetics with poor blood sugar control have a high prevalence of undiagnosed cognitive dysfunction, depression and functional disabilities, according to a study by researchers in Boston," Reuters reported.

Medha Munshi, M.D., who heads the Geriatric Diabetes Clinic Team at the Joslin Diabetes Center, and and colleagues looked at the link between cognitive dysfunction and blood sugar control in 60 people with diabetes aged 70 and up. The participants had diabetes for about 14 years and high hemoglobin A1C levels — an indicator of poor blood sugar control.

The lesson here is that if you have diabetes, please make sure to maintain tight blood sugar control — i.e., cut back on those culprit carbs so your blood sugar won’t swing so widely, eat better foods that sustain your energy and blood sugar for longer periods of time, take your meds (if you require any) at the right times, exercise, etc. You don’t want to have memory problems in addition to possibly having diabetic complications.