Too much sugar may cause “brain decay”

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It is well known that too much sugar causes tooth decay, but might it also cause “brain decay?” Recent research suggests that it just might. With the growing epidemic of obesity in the US, the number of people with diabetes is also increasing. Diabetes is due to the body’s inability to maintain a constant level of sugar in the blood, as it should. Over time, this results in problems in many parts of the body, including the kidneys, heart, muscles, nerves and brain. People with diabetes are more likely to have a heart attack or stroke at a younger age. In addition, they may be at a greater risk for a decline in mental function—brain decay—or dementia. Fortunately, improving eating habits and avoiding excessive weight gain may prevent many cases of diabetes.

In the current issue of Neurology, Yaffe et al.1 discuss the risks of mental decline in women with diabetes and “pre-diabetes.” Both diabetes and dementia are more common in the elderly. But are problems with regulation of blood sugar and decline in mental functions related? If so, the authors predict that older people with early problems with blood sugar regulation might also show early signs of impaired thinking.

Yaffe et al. collected information from 7,027 elderly women who had gone through menopause and were being followed for four years to study the effect of a medication to treat osteoporosis (a condition that causes bones to thin, with increased risk of breaking). At the beginning of the study, the women were tested for various health conditions, including diabetes and pre-diabetes. Pre-diabetes was noted if there was a mild increase in blood sugar when the woman had fasted overnight, called “impaired fasting glucose.” The women were also given tests to look at their verbal memory, attention, and other …