Older Adults With Untreated Type 2 Diabetes 60% More Likely To Develop Dementia Than Those Without Diabetes

Older adults (age 55 and older) with untreated type 2 diabetes were 1.62 times more likely to develop dementia than older adults with normal blood glucose levels. Those with untreated diabetes had biomarker profiles indicating an elevated risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease compared to those with normal blood glucose levels, those with pre-diabetes, and those being treated for diabetes.

These findings were reported in “Importance of Treatment Status in Links Between Type 2 Diabetes and Alzheimer Disease,” by Elissa C. McIntosh and Daniel A. Nation, for the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). The researchers analyzed . . .