Glucose Tolerance Test Predicts Your Memory Loss

Decline in episodic memory can be predicted by a two-hour glucose tolerance test as per a study “Oral Glucose Tolerance Test Predicts Episodic Memory Decline: A 10-Year Population-Based Follow-up Study” at the University Of Turku and Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, to be published in a future issue of journal Diabetes Care. Higher levels of glucose as a measured in glucose tolerance test is a worse predictor of episodic memory that is measured after ten years. The first sign of Alzheimer’s disease (a type of dementia) is deterioration in episodic memory.

Moreover, among the significant risk factor for cognitive decline (memory disorders), diabetes tops the list. Others include decreased insulin sensitivity, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. A two-hour glucose tolerance test is a generally used test to assess diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance.

Cognition and Glucose Tolerance Test

The present study was conducted with 961 participants (from the Health 2000 Survey & Health 2011 study) aged 45–74 years between 2000–2002 and 2011. The study compared the glucose levels in a two-hour glucose tolerance test with the risk of cognitive functions after ten years.

It was found that higher blood glucose level as dignified in a glucose tolerance test in 2001–2002 was related to poor performance in a memory test that was conducted in 2011.

Thus, the study states that patients with impaired glucose tolerance have an amplified risk of cognitive decline. This may help in better predict the memories of patients at risk.

Advertisement

Source-Medindia