Diabetes may have an adverse effect on the brain, especially in overweight people, reports The New York Times. An international team of scientists compared 100 people with type 2 diabetes—half of whom were overweight—to 50 healthy people of normal weight. All the participants underwent
MRI brain scans and completed tests that assessed their memory, reaction times, and thinking skills. The researchers found that participants with diabetes scored lower on the cognitive tests than those
without the condition, and had significantly thinner gray matter in parts of the brain involved in key functions, including planning and concentration. These effects were most severe among the diabetics who were overweight, suggesting the two health issues have cumulative harmful effects on
the brain. The study’s co-author, Donald Simonson of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, says these effects are likely irreversible. “On the positive side,” he notes, “patients who
maintain good control of their diabetes do seem to have a slower rate of deterioration.”
