Diagnosis of type 2 diabetes before the age of 50 nearly doubles the risk of dementia, while concurrent obesity triples the risk.
Type 2 diabetes is becoming increasingly common among younger adults, shifting from its traditional association with older populations. A recent study found that the age at which a person develops type 2 diabetes influences their risk of developing dementia, with obesity more than tripling risk, especially at younger ages.
Researchers tracked more than 1,200 adults aged 50 and older who had diabetes but no dementia at the start of the study. They grouped participants based on the age they were diagnosed with diabetes—before age 50, in their 50s, 60s, or 70s—and by whether they had obesity. They tracked new dementia cases for about 10 years, using cognitive assessments and considering factors like lifestyle and medication use.
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They found that people diagnosed with diabetes at younger ages had higher dementia risks than those diagnosed after 70. Those diagnosed before age 50 were nearly twice as likely to develop dementia, and obesity more than tripled this risk. Among obese participants diagnosed with diabetes before age 50, dementia risk was highest.
These findings suggest that diabetes, especially in the setting of obesity, markedly increases dementia risk. Self-monitoring of blood glucose levels can help identify pre-diabetes—a precursor to diabetes—providing a window of opportunity to prevent the disease with lifestyle and dietary changes. Learn more in this clip featuring Dr. Michael Snyder.