A research published in the Neurology Journal on the 8 July shows that people with type 2 diabetes can experience a drop in cognitive ability and overall brain function within just two years.
This is triggered by reduction of blood flow to the brain and tissue inflammation.
Several tests were conducted by researchers on sixty-five participants over a two-year period.
The results revealed that participants diagnosed with type 2 diabetes had consistently lower scores on tests that evaluated thinking and memory at the end of the two years.
“Our major finding is we have linked the acceleration of the cognitive decline to impaired blood flow regulation in the brain,” said senior study author, Dr. Vera Novak, an Associate Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School in Boston.
However, the researchers admitted that a study over a more extensive period and including more participants was necessary to better understand how type 2 diabetes may affect the brain.
Funders of the research include the U.S. National Institute on Ageing, the American Diabetes Association, the Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center and the U.S. National Center for Research Resources.