Study links mid-life onset of diabetes, hypertension with higher rate of cognitive impairment

People who develop type 2 diabetes or hypertension in middle age may be more likely to suffer brain damage that can contribute to dementia as they grow older, according to a new study published in the journal Neurology and reported by HealthDay News.

"People who had diabetes earlier in life had much worse brain [structure] than those who had it later in life," lead author Dr. Rosebud Roberts, a Mayo Clinic researcher, told HealthDay. "These scans are showing us that cognitive impairment happens over a long period of time. The earlier you develop type 2 diabetes, the more likely you are to have damage."

Although the study demonstrated a link between diabetes and high blood pressure in middle age and memory problems later in life, it didn't prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

Read more about the study at HealthDay News.

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