Saturday, April 11, 2009

Diabetes and your brain

The UK considers itself in a diabetes epidemic.  The U.S. is already there, but by looking at all fast food places around, you would think we don't care.

Just remember, if you are a guy, you can become impotent, and now it seems they have found that not controlling your diabetes can lead to lower brain functioning...

How do we prevent diabetes?  eat better - less meat (or no meat), fewer dairy products, fewer sweets, more exercise -  


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Failure to control type 2 diabetes may have a long-term impact on the brain, research has suggested.

BBC World News -  April 11, 2009
Severe hypoglycaemic episodes - hypos - occur when blood sugar levels drop dangerously low.

A University of Edinburgh team found they may lead to poorer memory and diminished brain power.

The study, based on 1,066 people with type 2 diabetes aged between 60 and 75, was presented at a conference of the charity Diabetes UK.

HYPOGLYCAEMIA

Hypoglycaemia is caused by a lack of sugar (glucose) reaching the brain, which uses it as fuel

Symptoms can include sweating, fatigue, hunger, feeling dizzy, feeling weak, a higher heart rate than usual and blurred vision

More severe episodes can led to temporary loss of consciousness, convulsions and coma

The volunteers completed seven tests assessing mental abilities such as memory, logic and concentration.

The 113 people who had previously experienced severe hypos scored lower than the rest of the group.

They performed poorly in tests of their general mental ability, and vocabulary...link to complete article

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