Diabetes study shows blood sugar levels affect memory

Researchers studied thousands of people with type 2 diabetes, and found that higher blood sugar levels were linked to poor performance on a variety of memory tests.

People with diabetes are about 50 percent more likely to develop different types of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease. But a new study finds that blood sugar problems in diabetics may cause milder memory problems during late, middle age.

Doctors administered a variety of mental tests to 3000 people with type 2 diabetes. The tasks included memorizing words and tests of higher cognitive control, such as the Stroop color naming test.

In the test, subjects read words that spell out colors – red, blue, yellow, and so on. But the words themselves are also colored, and the colors do not match what the word says. The person taking the test must name either the color of the word, or the read the word aloud – a difficult task.

Researchers found that each increase in blood sugar resulted in a slight decline in performance on all types of mental tests.

Experts say diabetics can improve their blood sugar levels by eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and strictly following their physicians’ orders about all medications.