2014 Mandate letter: Long-Term Care and Wellness
Premier's instructions to the Minister on priorities for the year 2014
Lettre de mandat 2014 : Soins de longue durée et Promotion du mieux-être
Directives de la première ministre à la ministre concernant les priorités de 2014
Greater dementia risk for diabetics: study
Citizen LAURA DONNELLY LONDON DAILY TELEGRAPH 17 September 2014
Diabetes is linked to an increased risk of
dementia, a global study suggests.
Research has linked high blood pressure, smoking and diabetes to
an increased risk of dementia, says the director of research at Alzheimer’s
Research U.K.
Changing lifestyles to reduce the
risk of diabetes, along with associated conditions including obesity and heart
disease, is key to tackling the time bomb facing aging populations, experts
said.
In the report for Alzheimer’s disease
International, a global group of charities and experts, researchers from King’s
College London analysed 400 studies to determine factors affecting dementia.
They found that diabetes was
associated with a significant rise in the risk of dementia, especially in
vascular dementias, linked to the brain’s blood supply.
It was not clear to what extent
diabetes raised the risk. Sufferers of Type 2 diabetes, the most common form,
are also more likely to be obese, and to have other health problems which raise
their dementia risk. Experts said a healthy lifestyle — with regular exercise,
a good diet, alcohol only in moderation, and no smoking — was one of the best
ways to protect the brain.
The research also suggested that
education has a protective effect, helping the brain to function better despite
signs of dementia.
The analysis concludes: “The
strongest evidence for possible causal associations with dementia are those of
low education in early life, hypertension (high blood pressure) in mid-life,
and smoking and diabetes across the life course.”
The experts said that following the
same health advice that protects people from heart disease and strokes could
protect against dementia, and that giving up smoking at any age reduced the
risk of dementia.
Professor Martin Prince, of King’s
College London, said that global studies suggested that improvements in heart
health were leading to reduced incidence of dementia in those with high
incomes.
“We need to do all we can to
accentuate these trends,” he said.
Dr. Eric Karran, the director of
research at Alzheimer’s Research U.K., said: “A large body of research has
linked high blood pressure, smoking and diabetes to an increased risk of
dementia, and this analysis serves as another reminder that good heart health
is an important route to good brain health.”
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