High Blood Sugar Linked to Impaired Brain Activity in Healthy People

Research shows that elevated blood sugar affects the brains of healthy people just as it does those of people with diabetes.

Human anatomy, neurology. Head profile and brain side section. Anatomy Image/Shutterstock

A study published in October in Neurobiology of Aging and conducted by Baycrest Academy for Research and Education (BARE) in Canada has found that high blood sugar levels may impair brain health even in individuals without diabetes.

“Our results show that even if someone does not have a diabetes diagnosis, their blood sugar may already be high enough to be negatively impacting their brain health,” Jean Chen, senior author of the study and senior scientist at the Rotman Research Institute, part of BARE, said in a statement.

Brain Adversely Affected Even in Healthy People

Previous research has established that high blood sugar has adverse effects on brain health in people with diabetes, but until now, its effects on healthy people’s brains had not been well understood.