Elevated Glucose and Inflammation Linked to Accelerated Brain Aging and Higher Dementia Risk: Research
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New Delhi, Dec 21 (NationPress) The brains of individuals with high glucose levels and inflammation can exhibit accelerated aging, which heightens their susceptibility to developing dementia, as revealed by recent research.
Researchers from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden utilized an artificial intelligence (AI) tool to analyze brain scans from 739 cognitively healthy individuals aged 70 years, aiming to assess the biological age of the brain.
The findings indicated various health and risk factors that influence the rate of brain aging.
The research, published in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, identified a connection between diabetes, stroke, cerebral small vessel disease, and inflammation with brains that appeared older.
Conversely, adopting a healthy lifestyle that includes regular exercise was associated with younger-looking brains, the study noted.
The team performed MRI scans on participants' brains and estimated the biological age of the resulting images using their AI-based algorithm. Additionally, blood samples were collected to evaluate lipids, glucose, and inflammation, along with cognitive assessments.
The AI tool estimated an average brain age of 71 years for both genders. The researchers then calculated the brain age gap by subtracting the participants' estimated biological brain age from their chronological age.
“A critical takeaway from this study is that factors negatively impacting blood vessels are also associated with older-looking brains,” stated lead author Anna Marseglia, a researcher in the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society at Karolinska Institutet.
This underscores the importance of maintaining healthy blood vessels to protect the brain, by ensuring, for example, that blood glucose levels remain stable,” Marseglia added.
The research team plans to conduct a follow-up study to explore how men and women may differ in their resilience-building mechanisms.
