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How to Avoid Doubling
Your Dementia Risk
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If you’re hoping to dodge age-related dementia down the road, best get a handle on your blood sugar now.
Both chronically high blood sugar (prediabetes) and diabetes increase the risk for Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. And that risk more than
doubles if diabetes strikes in middle age rather than later in life.
Timing Matters
How does diabetes hurt cognition? Diabetes-induced inflammation and oxidative stress are two possible bad-for-your-brain effects. And when
those effects happen in midlife rather than late life, the worse it may be for you. In a large study of adult twins, the two-fold dementia risk occurred
when diabetes struck before, rather than after, the age of 65.
Lifestyle Matters
The take-home message: Whether you have normal blood sugar or diabetic levels, it’s important to control it -- not just for your body, but for your
brain, too. That means kicking to the curb any unhealthy habits, like a poor diet and excessive couch lounging. Here are more tips on protecting your
blood sugar and your brain:
Exercise – if you don’t like any other exercise….then simply walk. It’s spring….it’s beautiful so walk every day. Enjoy the scenery and relax. This is
the best thing for any physical, mental or spiritual issue.
Eat your bread. No, seriously. We mean it. Just make sure it’s the right kind of bread. Not just any bread. Eat the hearty whole-grain breads -- and
cereals, pastas, pilafs, et al. -- that heart experts are so high on.
Not only are whole-grain foods much more nutritious and fiber-rich than processed white-flour products, but a new study shows they may help fight
factors that can lead to diabetes, from blood sugar spikes to overeating. If you're even remotely at risk for diabetes, aim for about 6 servings of whole
grains daily.
Whole grains are crammed with fiber, B vitamins, and minerals (selenium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorous, manganese, iron, and zinc). This
potent combination of nutrients helps regulate blood sugar and insulin, curb appetite, control cholesterol, and lower homocysteine, a substance
strongly linked with heart disease, according to a major new study of almost 1,000 men and women. No wonder nutritionists have been chanting the
whole-grain mantra for years. But now diabetes experts are chanting along with them.
Work your mind. Just like with other muscles, it’s use it or lose it. Rather than sitting in front of the tube, play word games with your family…..
scrabble, trivial pursuit, etc. Exercise your brain just like you exercise your body.
Try this tasty yet blood-sugar-friendly Fettuccine with Shiitake Mushrooms & Basil recipe.
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