Type 2 diabetes linked to brain shrinkage

A new potential side effect from diabetes has Januvia users on their toes. While recent projections provided by the American Diabetes Association hypothesizing that will have developed the disease by the year 2050, recent research has indicated that diabetes could produce more health hazards that can affect people today.

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have analyzed whether or not Type 2 diabetes can be connected to , uncovering some surprising results. To test this proposed correlation, the doctors administered MRI scans to examine 614 patients who had at some point in their lives been diagnosed for diabetes to see whether any signs of brain deterioration was occurring.

The average duration of the participants having diabetes was 9.9 years, and the researchers specifically tested the subjects to see if those who had more severe cases of diabetes were inversely correlated with the brain volumes of participants with less serious diagnosis of the disease. The doctors found that those who had been living longer with diabetes had higher counts of brain volume loss, specifically with the gray matter region, which hosts the majority of neuronal cell bodies.

Dr. R. Nick Bryan, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and lead author of the study, was fearful that due to the alarming increase in diabetes over the past few decades, there also could be a spike in the rates of brain deterioration in the near future as well.

"We found that patients having more severe diabetes had , suggesting brain atrophy," Bryan said in a statement. "Stated another way, our results suggested that, for every 10 years of diabetes duration, the brain of a patient with diabetes looks approximately two years older than that of a non-diabetic person, in terms of gray matter volume."

Ward off diabetes
While steps toward proper prevention of diabetes are crucial for eliminating health risks, for the nearly who already have diabetes, managing the disease can prove difficult. For those already living with the condition, a few ways to help better manage your diabetes include:

• regularly checking your blood sugar and glucose levels
• exercise regularly and set weight loss goals for yourself
• quit smoking tobacco and try to moderate your alcohol use
• make sure to relax and monitor your stress levels
• inspect your feet for potential ulcers

Another way to help control symptoms of diabetes is a prescription to Januvia. For those looking to buy Januvia, check out a Canadian online pharmacy for a wide variety of prescription and payment options.