People with type 2 diabetes who have a “healthy” lifestyle have their risk of developing dementia halved, according to a major new study of the British population.
The findings, from an analysis of nearly 450,000 people in the UK Biobank, were reported to the conference of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, being held in Stockholm, Sweden, this week.
Nearly 25,000 of the participants had reported having type 2 diabetes at the start of the study.
The researchers found that both type 2 diabetes and an unhealthy lifestyle were linked to increased risk of dementia – with diabetes increasing the risk by 33%.
The researchers found that people with diabetes living the healthiest lifestyles were 45% less likely to develop dementia than those with type 2 diabetes and the unhealthiest lifestyles.
To assess lifestyles, they included television viewing time, length of sleep, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity and diet.
Researcher Dr Carlos Celis-Morales, of the University of Glasgow Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, said: “Adhering to current dietary, physical activity and sleep recommendations is key to good health and it may contribute to a lower risk of dementia in people with diabetes.
“We’ve shown that following these healthy lifestyle guidelines also significantly reduces the increase in risk of dementia experienced by people with diabetes.”
Fellow researcher Ms Jirapitcha Boonpor said: “There is no cure for dementia, to date, which makes its prevention all the more important.”
EASD: [abstract]
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