Blood Sugar Plunge May Raise Dementia

Severe drops in blood sugar may increase the risk of dementia for diabetics, a new study concludes. Researchers looked at the medical records of more than 16,000 diabetics. They focused on times when they had a big drop in blood sugar. The drop led to an emergency room trip or admission to a hospital. People with one episode were one-third more likely to develop dementia later. People with three or more episodes had a doubled risk of dementia. McClatchy-Tribune Information Service wrote about the study April 15. The story quoted experts who said that low blood sugar may damage the brain. They said the study showed the risks of pushing too far to lower blood sugar. The study was in the Journal of the American Medical Association.