Diabetes or high blood sugar
Type 2 diabetes increases dementia risk by about 60% through vascular damage, inflammation and insulin resistance in the brain.
Why it matters
Blood sugar control through diet, exercise and medication reduces the vascular damage that accelerates cognitive decline.
What to ask at the checkup
Ask whether an A1c test is due and what the target range should be
Screening: HbA1c test
Sources
Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2024 report of the Lancet Commission
Livingston G, Huntley J, Liu KY et al.. The Lancet, 2024.
Fourteen things people can change account for nearly half of dementia cases at the population level.
Diabetes mellitus and risks of cognitive impairment and dementia: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 148 prospective studies
Cheng G, Huang C, Deng H et al.. Ageing Research Reviews, 2012.
Having diabetes raised the chance of dementia by about 60 percent compared to people without it.
Routines for this factor
Walk ten minutes after the largest meal
After the biggest meal of the day, walk for ten minutes.
10 min, difficulty 1/3
Water instead of juice or soda at one meal
Serve water instead of juice, soda, or sweetened tea at one meal today.
1 min, difficulty 1/3