The Negative Effects of Stress for Diabetics

While people with type-2 diabetes are at increased risk of cognitive impairment, the exact mechanism has remained unclear.  Rebecca M Reynolds, from The University of Edinburgh (Scotland), and colleagues studied 1,066 men and women, ages 60 to75 years, with type 2 diabetes, enrolled in the Edinburgh Type 2 Diabetes Study.   The team assessed the subjects’ mental abilities with a range of tests, including memory function and how quickly participants processed information. They compared this data to that of general intelligence levels, to ascertain whether brain function had diminished over time. The researchers found that brain function slowed in those subjects with higher levels of the stress hormone, cortisol.  Writing that: “High morning cortisol levels in elderly people with type 2 diabetes are associated with estimated age-related cognitive change,” the team urges that: “Strategies targeted at lowering cortisol action may be useful in ameliorating cognitive decline in individuals with type 2 diabetes. “