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Impaired
Glucose Tolerance Linked to Memory Decline
Poor
glucose tolerance is associated with cognitive deficits.
Although
memory impairment has been reported in diabetics, the association
between impairment in glucose regulation and memory deficits in
elderly individuals remains unknown.
Therefore,
Dr. Antonio Convit, of the New York University School of Medicine,
and colleagues studied 30 healthy individuals between the ages of
53 and 89 years, none of whom was diabetic or exhibited signs of
dementia. I.V. glucose tolerance tests were conducted, and memory
was assessed using Wechsler Paragraphs recall tests. Hippocampal
and brain volumes were measured by MRI.
"Baseline
blood glucose levels and 2-hour glucose were significantly
associated with hippocampal atrophy" (p < 0.05 after
adjusting for age and scores on the Mini Mental State Exam).
Two-hour glucose levels were also associated with delayed recall
(p < 0.05), and there was a trend for baseline glucose to
predict memory impairment, he added.
Dr.
Antonio Convit pointed out that among diabetics in their 30s and
40s, there is evidence of memory dysfunction even before signs of
cardiovascular disease develop. "So we would hypothesize that
even younger individuals with insulin resistance may have memory
problems."
"This
kind of data can be useful in motivating people who don't care
about how they look if they're a little heavy, but they may care
about their memory performance," he added.
If
their findings are replicated, Dr. Convit said, "then either
pharmacological interventions to improve people's insulin
resistance or behavioral interventions will be worth
studying."
Proc
Natl Acad Sci 2003. www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.0336073100
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