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Diabetes And Intelligence

T

Timmy98

Member
Messages
10
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Have you ever heard that diabetes affects your intelligence? I have had diabetes for 17 years and I just recently read that diabetes causes a decrease in some areas of intelligence. I'm not sure if I have ever felt any change, but I do fear that this may change, consequently affecting my success, future career. What's your experience? Have you had a fall in intelligence in any particular are as a result of diabetes?
 
Suggestion that hypos may be linked with lower IQ in children:- http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/836580

And there is a review which summarises the results of several papers:- http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/28/3/726

The review says "there is a modest but highly significant difference in cognitive performance between patients with type 1 diabetes and nondiabetic control subjects. The pattern of cognitive findings does not suggest an overall impairment of cognitive function but is characterized by a slowing of mental speed and a diminished mental flexibility.". Note that "modest" means small and "highly significant" is being used in the statistical sense so means "probably a real effect, not due to chance".
 
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Not sure how you'd measure it, Intelligence Quotient I suppose. If it's any help I gained my Masters in 2001 at the age of 49 and 5 years after diagnosis. I'd also have to ask the question "is it the diabetes or the medication?"
 
One type of diabetes has been implicated in alzheimers disease but aside from not being able to spell alzheimers I feel just as smart.
 
I find old age contributes significantly, but finding ways to make my pension stretch further is a good mental exercise to compensate.
 
I would be very cautious before accepting this research. Firstly psychologists argue about what intelligence is anyway. Secondly, one rain doesn't make a monsoon and just because limited research proposes something doesn't make it right. I am sure (given enough funding and I am open to offers) that it is possible to prove that left handed martial artists are less/more intelligent than left handed ping pong players. Lol

The key here is to ask whether there is ample peer reviewed research and on this subject I would have to say it's pretty weak. So, I would suggest continue to plan a highly successful career and don't anticipate Alzheimer's, because there are hundreds of other options that could affect you before that anyway - and worrying won't stop any of them.
 
Well, my short and long term memory, processing power and attention span are all affected by my blood glucose being too high or too low.
- but that doesn't mean the problem is the diabetes.
- it actually means the problem is my control over the diabetes.

In other words, my IQ depends on me keeping my blood glucose under control.

Also, ketosis helps to sharpen my mind tremendously. By keeping my bg between 4 and 7, and running in ketosis, find my brain works the best it has for decades.
 
I also understood the correlation between reduction of cognitive powers and diabetes is down to uncontrolled diabetes/high blood sugars rather than the disease or the medication. I also don't equate intelligence to having good cognitive powers. One can have the one without the other.
 
AmandaD said:
Well I don't think it does I'm type 1 almost 30 years and have a Bachelors degree, two Masters and a PhD so diabetes didn't do anything to mine lol
Click to expand...

How do you know? You might have made it to a 2nd PhD if you hadn't had D.

(that was a joke, by the way, but the point is serious. No single person's example can prove anything, because there is nothing for comparison)
 
I can see that there may be a correlation with those diagnosed at a young age who were not well in control of their sugars. Highs and lows can put you in a strange state which certainly will not help learning and development, and years of flux probably has led to some cell death or issues.

So I would say that if you have been well controlled i wouldn't expect there to be any issues.

As pointed out above it shouldn't inhibit anyone's mental ability to any noticeable amount - Both my sister and I have T1D - she has a bachelors degree in English and History, and a masters in English literature, and I have my bachelors degree and masters degree in applied science (Civil and Environmental Engineering), so it can't be doing too much to us lol
 
Most people who contribute to this forum seem fairly intelligent and most people who contribute to this forum have diabetes !!!
CAROL
 
That explains why i keep putting empty stuff back in the fridge. Well that's my excuse from now on.

Future conversation:

Wife: You put an empty package in the fridge again.
Me *sad voice*: i can't help it honey, you know i have impaired cognitive ability because of my diabetes.
Wife: I'm sorry, i keep forgetting. Do you want anything from the fridge?
Me: something that's not empty, maybe look in the back.

However these conversations usually don't pan out the same way as they do in my mind.
 
If underactive thyroid is proven to be related to diabetes then yes it affects intelligence. Thyroid function can impare intelligence. That is definitely proven. I'm afraid.
I can conclude I excelled at school after losing 5 stones. My concentration was better after losing the weight. No diagnosed underactive thyroid nor diabetes but not say I didn't have them.
I had symptoms at 6yr old.
 
Well, I declare right now I'm not planning any impairment for some decades yet. It's funny how what we expect, we so often get - good and bad.

Bottom line is, if I find I can't remember things, and/or I stop making sense (stop the smart Alex remarks at the back NOW), I'll just have to odeal with it, but I'm not going to plan my life on it. Not one single one of us knows when tomorrow might just not come, so I intend to get on with my life, having adventures, doing things I never envisaged I would and generally creating havoc.

I'd rather regret having done somethng bonkers, rather than forego the experience because of something that might or might not happen. I've had a great life so far and intend to have much, much more of the same.

I'll pay attention to the things I can ultimately control, and laugh in the face of the things I can't. Life's to short to plan in mediocrity.
 
Diabetes has definitely affected my intelligence.
I know and understand a hell of a lot more than I did before diagnosis.
But please excuse my intelligence or lack of it when I ask
" What actually is intelligence?"
 
therower said:
Diabetes has definitely affected my intelligence.
I know and understand a hell of a lot more than I did before diagnosis.
But please excuse my intelligence or lack of it when I ask
" What actually is intelligence?"
Click to expand...

Actually your knowledge has increased about a subject. The intelligence debate is still going on but you can in some way measure a drop or increase on a personal level of intelligence. If you have a generally high IQ and after situation X you have a lower IQ you have experienced a drop in intelligence. There are several types of intelligence a drop in any of them can be measured to some extent in a person and regardless of the definition of intelligence you can say that that person's intelligence has dropped.

The research posted by @Dark Horse suggest a mild to moderate drop in certain activities associated with intelligence. But i see no reason to worry since there are way more factors that can be damaging to intelligence that you both control and don't control. Just think of aging, alcohol, drugs, head trauma, ... Just another hurdle along the line, nothing we can't overcome.

Now where did i put my rubiks cube :D
 
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