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High blood sugar in healthy adults linked to lower brain activity

New research shows combined use of sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP1-RAs) is likely to offer additional protection against heart and kidney disease in patients with diabetes

A recent study found that high blood sugar may negatively affect brain health even in individuals who do not have diabetes. Although the relationship between blood sugar levels and brain health is well established in those with diabetes, this study is the first to investigate this link in people without the condition.

“Our findings indicate that individuals who do not have a diabetes diagnosis may still have elevated blood sugar levels that could negatively affect their brain health,” said Dr Jean Chen, the senior author of the study and a Senior Scientist at the Rotman Research Institute. . “Blood sugar levels exist on a spectrum; they cannot simply be categorized as healthy or unhealthy.”

The study, “Associations Among Glycemic Control, Heart Rate Variability, and Autonomic Brain Function in Healthy Individuals: Age—and Sex-Related Differences,” was recently published in the journal Neurobiology of Aging. It examined 146 healthy adults aged 18 and older. Researchers analyzed each individual’s blood sugar levels, brain activity through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, and heart rate variability using electrocardiogram (ECG) readings.

“The findings emphasize the importance of managing blood sugar through a healthy diet and regular exercise, as this benefits not just your body but also your brain,” said Dr. Chen, who is Canada Research Chair in Neuroimaging of Aging and a Professor of Biomedical Physics at the University of Toronto. “Additionally, it’s crucial to have regular checkups and collaborate with a healthcare provider, especially if you have been diagnosed with pre-diabetes.”

Main study findings

  • Higher blood sugar was associated with decreased connections in brain networks. These networks play a crucial role in all aspects of cognition, including memory, attention, and emotion regulation.
  • The effect was more substantial in older adults, but it was present across all ages; older adults generally had higher blood sugar than younger adults.
  • The effect was also stronger in women than in men.
  • In addition, there was a link between higher blood sugar and lower heart rate variability – the beat-to-beat change in an individual’s heart rate. Previous research indicates that higher heart rate variability is associated with better brain health.

In future work, the researchers could investigate how to improve brain function by changing heart-rate variability. Heart rate variability is an easier target for intervention than blood sugar, especially in nondiabetic individuals.

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Lower Blood Sugar at Home Easily for FREE

Lower Blood Sugar at Home Easily for FREE - YouTube


In this episode, we discuss a simple and effective way to improve glucose metabolism for free from the comfort of your own home. This ground-breaking study looked at how people who are mainly sedentary can increase the utilization and clearance of glucose from the bloodstream more efficiently. The study from the University of Houston demonstrated how the human soleus muscle could increase local oxidative metabolism to high levels for hours without fatigue, significantly improving glucose metabolism. This is a simple but effective way to improve your metabolism while sitting that almost anyone can do for free at almost any time.

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What’s an Ideal Blood Sugar Level?




Continuous glucose monitoring

Continuous glucose monitoring

You want your blood sugar level to be as close as possible to that of someone who does not have diabetes or any other condition that affects blood sugar levels. Your doctor should tell you what your target blood sugar level is, and what you should do if your blood sugar falls outside a given range.

As a guide, someone with Type 2 diabetes should have a blood glucose level of 4-7mmol/l before meals, and less than 8.5mmol/l two hours after a meal. Pregnant women should have a fasting blood glucose level below 5.3mmol/l. The measurement mmol/l stands for millimoles per litre, which measures the concentration of a substance in a liquid.




How to Check Your Blood Sugar Level

Blood sugar levels are checked by measuring a small sample of blood. There are two ways to test your blood sugar levels: continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) or using a blood glucose meter.

Continuous glucose monitoring uses a small device worn under the skin. It measures blood sugar every few minutes and transmits the data to a display. You may be able to see your results in real time, or you may have to download them to see your historical numbers. A real-time CGM will alert you of a precipitous spike or decline in your blood sugar level.

CGM allows you to continuously track your blood sugar levels, even during the night. You can see when your level is starting to go up, so you can take action sooner and possibly prevent a spike. CGM will alert you to a spike even at a time when you don’t typically test. If you use insulin, you may be able to tailor your dosing to keep your sugar more level over the course of the day.

Using a blood glucose meter is a more traditional way to test your blood sugar, and some people prefer it to CGM. There are many different meters on the market, so consult with your doctor about which meter is right for you. Be sure you understand how to operate the meter correctly, as incorrect operation can provide incorrect results.




Understanding what blood sugar levels are, what your target level is, and how to read your level is critical to managing your diabetes or hypoglycemia.

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Diabetes blog – diet and exercise as a treatment for Diabetes


exerciseWelcome to our latest discussion blog on diabetes.  In this blog we are looking at how people with Type 2 Diabetes can use diet and exercise to keep their condition under control.

As with all of our blogs of this type we need your help.  The objective of this diabetes blog is to allow people with diabetes or their loved ones to share top tips regarding diet and exercise for people with diabetes.  In this blog we are focusing on Type Two Diabetes but will look more closely at Type One Diabetes at a later date.

With the increase in prevalence of diabetes throughout the world more attention is being paid to both prevention and non-medication based treatments of Type 2 Diabetes.

Diabetes UK (http://www.diabetes.co.uk/exercise-for-diabetics.html) has some excellent suggestions as to diet and exercise for diabetics and we strongly recommend that you pay their web site a visit.

Looking at their advice there are two key points worth mentioning:-

a)      Three square meals a day – (don’t skip).  Remember breakfast is an important meal!

b)      It is certainly worth consulting a dietician.  As with many medical conditions there really is no such thing as “one size fits all” so getting tailor made advice about diet is pretty important.

Overall the recommendations are, as with many diets, to focus on overall health eating.  Typically aVegtables low glycaemic diet is recommended.  This is a diet where weight loss is achieved by control of blood sugars.  That is making sure that blood sugars do not “spike” during the day.  This is achieved by eating food which has a low glycaemic index i.e. slow release.  The sorts of foods that are low GI include whole grains, beans and lentils, pasta, fruit and sweet corn.

My wife (while not a diabetic) has used a low GI diet with great success to lose weight.  You can check out some recipes here – http://www.awtonline.co.uk/a-z_recipes.php.

In terms of exercise it is important to note that it does improve insulin resistance if carried out on a regular basis.  For Type 2 adults it has been suggested that 30 minutes five times a week is a minimum required.  Even a short break from exercise (say 10 days) can lead to you losing any metabolic benefits.  It is important to choose exercise which is sustainable such as walking or maybe cycling to work.

As we said earlier the objective of this diabetes blog is to allow you to share your experience of tacking diabetes type 2 with diet and exercise.  You might like to consider the following questions:-

1)      How long ago were you diagnosed with diabetes?

2)      How easy as it to find an exercise regime which suited you?  What was that regimes?

3)      What diet do you now follow?  Has it been effective in keeping your diabetes in check?

4)      Where do you go for suitable diabetes recipes?

5)      Have you had to add medication to your diabetes treatment?  If so which ones?

Please feel free to use the comments box below to add your thoughts and diabetes experiences.  Feel free to share any links which you have found useful in the past.

Many thanks in advance.