Diabetics ‘at risk of progressive mental slowdown’

Doesn't that just appear with age? I feel alot slower, from a cognitive point of view, than in my twenties. My perspicacity has declined slightly also.

The Alberta study used 41 adults with diabetes and 424 without, aged 53 to 90.

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41 with against 424 without! Bit one sided.I wonder just how old the diabetics were.Most adults over 53 find their cognitive powers slowing down.

Sue " most adults over 50 " is a bit unfair as i was 56 yesterday and it all happened a bit of a rush - all sudden like. Didnt see it coming so i suppose there is some truth in it.

I've been over 50 for some time ,Dave!!Long before I got diabetes my thought processes have been slowing down!

I have to admit my memory and problem solving (methodical thinking) has been really bad since i was diagnosed two and half years ago. Memory is the worst though... i have to think really hard about what i did the day before most of the time!!

i hope it will improve if i get to have a pump and stabalise my blood sugars.

Considering that glucose is the only source of energy for the brain, big/rapid fluctuations to blood sugar levels are bound to have an affect? I have horrible mood swings and bad memory... only sinse diabetes struck!

So progressive mental slowdown... i think is definatly more of a risk with diabetes... but that's not to say that all diabetics get it... just says that the risk is higher... i think mines already started!!




what was this thread about again!?!?

I have always considered there to be a mental aspect to diabetes, supported by my own condition and the often reported mood swings etc on this forum - however the fact that this report can suddenly make these progressive, based on a single once-off study is just another example of a bad study and/or reporting. How can they call it progressive without a study against a control group over an extended period of time!!!

As we are all aware with tight control of BG levels all complications can be arrested and reversed - there is no reason why cognitive complications (if they do exist) can not be reversed too.

The only times Ifeel that I'm slowing down is driving in heavy traffic, with my husband in the car criticising. My mental arithmetic is still faster than my daughter!
Who's noticed that many contestants in "Coundown" are past their first youth?

May I suggest it is a matter of control - UNCONTROLLED diabetics do have all sorts of problems.

This forum shows that we are a caring community keen to help each other & share experiences regardless of ethnic & cultural differences. The level of creative thinking in achieving control & adapting recipes, & the whole positive approach to LIFE should leave the critics back at the starting block.

It is just a media report designed to scare people and make some kind of money.

I agree though that it is a matter of controlling our blood sugars as to hinder any sort of deterioration but there is not enough conclusive evidence here to convince me that this is something else to worry about. The report is biaised. Also somewhere there in that report it states "and it will likely get worse without careful disease management." so it is saying if you don't control this now then you better be scared and be prepared to pay good money to pay for it. It also says "The study, published in the journal Neuropsychology, found that the mental deterioration was no better in younger adults with diabetes than in an older group, suggesting that the damage is done early in the disease and remains stable thereafter" so if the damage is supposedly already done then we are first diagnosed but not later ... and we are under control now and our mental function is relatively good - then why worry :?:

Another point is that there are ways to improve the speed and function of your brain - most of us have heard of brain training... same as your body, your brain can be trained to work better also so if you are worried about your memory or lack of concentration or whatever then take up some exercises for your brain or start reading... you'll notice the difference. It doesn't matter whether your diabetic or not - it works the same for all of us.
Rach

IanD said:

May I suggest it is a matter of control - UNCONTROLLED diabetics do have all sorts of problems.

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Exactly!

The majority of studies are of uncontrolled or poorly controlled diabetics, no-one seems to study the rest of us (yet)

To be honest i was hoping to have an excuse for being a dumbass, but you lot have ruined all my fun by rubbishing the survey

Oh yes me too!!Never mind Gov.just be like me,convince yourself that you are just too busy with a lot on your mind! :lol:

sugarless sue said:

Oh yes me too!!Never mind Gov.just be like me,convince yourself that you are just too busy with a lot on your mind! :lol:

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:lol: You do that too? I like to tell myself it's the sign of true genius to lurch around, forgetting one thing after another

I cover up my idiocy with my wide vocabulary, but I don't think I'm fooling anyone