Type 2 diabetes can impact multiple organ systems, including the heart, kidneys, eyes, and even the brain. Additionally, scientists have found evidence that diabetes accelerates brain aging, which may raise the risk of Alzheimer’s. This podcast explores lifestyle interventions that may help slow the cognitive decline associated with diabetes. However, is there a way to prevent this, and if so, how?

Type 2 diabetes accounts for more than 95 percent of the estimated 422 million cases of diabetes that occurred globally in 2014. 783 million people worldwide are predicted to receive a diabetes diagnosis by 2045. Over time, type 2 diabetes can cause numerous serious complications, including infections, heart disease, pain and loss of feeling (due to damage to nerves), and vision loss. It is a chronic illness that can impact several organs in the body. Diabetes can also have a detrimental effect on the brain.

Through a variety of pathways, type 2 diabetes has been linked in studies to memory loss, cognitive decline, and an elevated risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The good news is that certain lifestyle modifications can either prevent or postpone type 2 diabetes. In this episode, we look at the results of two recent studies that provide clues about potential strategies to slow the aging process caused by diabetes. However, how precisely does type 2 diabetes contribute to accelerated brain aging, and how can we counteract accelerated brain aging caused by diabetes?

To answer these and other questions, MNT editors and co-hosts Yasemin Nicola Sakay and Maria Cohut spoke with Thomas (Tom) Barber, MD, an honorary consultant endocrinologist and associate professor at the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom. Barber has also appeared in two previous episodes of the In Conversation podcast: Can diet and exercise reverse prediabetes? and 100 Years of Insulin. You can listen to the entire episode below or on your preferred streaming service.