Can Diabetes Affect Cognitive Ability?
Yes, it can and here is how. The most frequent cognitive deficits in persons with diabetes are: o Slowing of information processing speed o Slowing of motor speed o Decreases in vocabulary and intelligence o Lessening of attention span o Decreases in motor strength o Loss of memory The single most important factor is glycemic or sugar control. Both too low (hypoglycemia) and too high (hyperglycemia) blood glucose can affect cognitive function. All of these above items improve with better glucose control. Complications such as neuropathy (loss of feeling), retinopathy (loss of eye sight), and nephropathy (loss of kidney function) may take years to occur with diabetes. Cognitive deficits can occur much earlier (especially when your hemoglobin A1C is higher than 8.4%). In elderly diabetic persons, this is especially true, with more than 10% showing at least some cognitive deficit due at least in part to poor blood sugar control. Okay, so what can you do to keep your brain sharp? In other
