Could blood sugar regulation prevent memory decline?
By Better Health Research News Desk • Dec 31st, 2008 • Category: Blood Sugar, Health News, Health Resources News
Keeping blood glucose levels steady could help prevent age-related cognitive decline, according to new research published in the Annals of Neurology.
Scientists at the Taub Institute for Research say that when blood sugar rises it affects the hippocampus, which is the area of the brain associated with learning and memory.
Furthermore, they posit that this connection helps explain why older people who are more physically active do not suffer as much cognitive decline as they age: because exercise helps stabilize blood glucose levels.
"We had previously shown that physical exercise strengthens a part of the brain involved with aging but, at the time, we didn’t know why physical exercise would have this selective benefit," senior author Dr. Scott Small told HealthDay News. "Now, we have a proposed mechanism."
The researchers suggested that in addition, "anything to improve regulation of blood glucose" could be beneficial to combating age-related memory decline.
In addition to exercise and dietary changes, many people have also turned to nutritional supplements in an effort to lower blood sugar naturally.
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