Diabetes linked to higher risk of mild cognitive impairment
Initially cognitively normal participants with diabetes had a higher relative risk of mild cognitive impairment than those without diabetes, with an adjusted hazard ratio of 1.73.
Limit: Only 71 cognitively normal participants had diabetes
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
In an observational study, researchers analyzed data collected over time from 1,638 people: 765 who were cognitively normal and 873 with mild cognitive impairment, meaning mild memory or thinking difficulties. Diabetes affected 71 people in the first group and 91 in the second.
Diabetes was linked to a higher risk of developing mild cognitive impairment, but not progression from existing impairment to Alzheimer’s disease. Among cognitively normal participants, diabetes was associated with a stronger link between amyloid and accumulation of tau in one brain region. Both are proteins involved in Alzheimer’s disease. Diabetes was also linked to a weaker relationship between hippocampal volume—the size of a memory-related brain region—and cognitive performance. These patterns were not seen among participants with mild cognitive impairment.
Why it matters
Understanding how diabetes relates to brain changes before dementia develops could help shape studies aimed at preventing Alzheimer’s disease.
Caveats
The observational design cannot establish that diabetes caused these differences.
The paper
Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital
Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, Oct 24, 2026
