New research out of the USA shows that elevated blood sugar causes shrinkage of the brain and an elevated risk of dementia. We have known for a long time that diabetics have higher rates of dementia, but this new research shows that even mildly raised blood sugar (considered normal on a blood test) still places a person in danger. Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Washington, Paul Crane, examined blood sugar levels taken over several years from more than 2,000 people aged over 65. The people didn't have dementia when the study began, but by the end, 524 of them developed it. According to Professor Crane, “The thing that's especially newsworthy about our finding was that we found this association between blood-sugar and dementia risk even among people who had very normal levels of blood-sugar - not particularly elevated and certainly not in the diabetes range.” The national research manager with Alzheimer's Australia is Dr Chris Hatherly. According to Dr Hatherly, “There was some Australian research last year which showed that high blood-sugar in a middle-aged sample of people over time was related to increased shrinkage of the brain. So people with higher blood-sugar actually losing brain cells, and this study here is showing now that that's related to an increased risk of dementia. So it's very significant, it adds to what we know and it basically concerns that in maintaining a healthy lifestyle and a healthy diet are really vital for people if they want to reduce their risk of developing dementia.” Dementia is a terrible disease. It develops slowly and usually starts as early as one’s late 30s. Fortunately there are so many diet and lifestyle strategies that can help to protect your brain. I have written about this topic extensively in my book Alzheimer’s: What you must know to protect your brain. Reference