An Australian study indicates that fasting blood glucose levels on the upper end of the normal range negatively affect the brain, causing constriction of the hippocampus and amygdala(among other influences considered, 6-10% of the constriction was caused by the blood sugar level). This is a sign of aging and dementia, and the subjects were at least 60 years of age. However, a new Pediatrics study found the same hippocampal constriction in teenagers who had metabolic syndrome. Abnormal blood sugar eventually leads to a plethora of health problems; and is a contributing factor to heart disease.
Type II Diabetes Mellitus and Dementia are rapidly increasing as the rest of the world continues to consume a Westernized diet. These conditions will certainly affect people of all social classes, but those in the lower class will likely struggle the most: they will have to pay for their doctor visits, medication and insulin for Diabetes, and increased care for Dementia; all of which can be very costly. There is also the factor that diet plays: it seems to be harder for those with lower incomes and Diabetes to adjust their diets accordingly because of a widely held belief that healthy food is expensive. There is also the fact that advertisers continually bombard the public from a young age into eating overly refined and processed foods. This is seen in the Pediatrics study, and highlights the difference in advertising between the two generations studied: elderly and teenagers. Therefore, if teenagers continue to consume their current diet, the onset ages for both Diabetes and Dementia will lower significantly over the next century and a massive health crisis could result.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/06/blood-sugar-brain-glucose-normal-high-shrinkage-volume_n_1855148.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular#slide=1470528
Australian Study http://www.neurology.org/content/79/10/1019
Pediatrics Study http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2012/08/28/peds.2012-0324.abstract
No comments:
Post a Comment