Amid the global trends of aging populations and decreasing birthrates, the number of people living with chronic illnesses is rising, especially those with diabetes and dementia, and studies have shown there might be a link between the two.
The number of dementia cases worldwide last year increased by 10 million, and is expected to reach 150 million by 2050, Alzheimer’s Disease International’s latest data showed.
In Taiwan, there are 3.4 million people aged 65 or older, among which 280,000 have dementia, meaning that there is one dementia case for every 84 Taiwanese, Taiwan Alzheimer’s Disease Association data showed.
The association forecast that in the next 47 years, the number of people who develop dementia would average 36 per day, or one every 40 minutes.
Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital physician Lin Chia-hung (林嘉鴻) said that a direct cause of dementia had not yet been identified, but a growing number of studies have suggested a link between dementia and diabetes.
That is why “type 3 diabetes” has become a newly proposed term to describe the hypothesis that Alzheimer’s disease — a major cause of dementia — is triggered by a type of insulin resistance and insulin deficiency that occurs specifically in the brain, Lin said.
“Due to medications or dietary habits, diabetes patients often experience low blood sugar, which increases the risk of brain cell damage,” he said.
The reason that dementia is considered “diabetes in the brain” by some people has to do with insulin resistance, Lin said, adding that impaired glucose metabolism in the brain leads to degeneration and dysfunction of brain cells.
As diabetes accelerates atherosclerosis — a hardening of the arteries — a lack of oxygen in the brain can occur, affecting brain functions, he said.
Dementia is not exclusive to old people, as the younger a person is when diagnosed with diabetes, the higher their risk of diabetes complications, especially in patients with poorly controlled blood sugar levels marked by great fluctuations, Lin said, adding that a majority of studies on links between dementia and diabetes concerns type 2 diabetes.
Also a diabetic himself, Lin said he always stresses to his patients the importance of glycemic control, which is practiced by eating foods high in fibers, such as vegetables and fruits, and low in fats, sugars and with a low glycemic-index rating.
Oatmeal and brown rice are better options than refined carbohydrates, such as pork buns, steamed buns and bread, he said, adding that eating three meals at regular times and with consistent amounts also helps.
In addition to medication and maintaining a healthy diet, controlling blood pressure and lipids also helps with lowering the risk of diabetes complications, as well as cross-departmental care in the prevention of the narrowing and hardening of arteries, he said.
The military has spotted two Chinese warships operating in waters near Penghu County in the Taiwan Strait and sent its own naval and air forces to monitor the vessels, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said. Beijing sends warships and warplanes into the waters and skies around Taiwan on an almost daily basis, drawing condemnation from Taipei. While the ministry offers daily updates on the locations of Chinese military aircraft, it only rarely gives details of where Chinese warships are operating, generally only when it detects aircraft carriers, as happened last week. A Chinese destroyer and a frigate entered waters to the southwest
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
Instead of focusing solely on the threat of a full-scale military invasion, the US and its allies must prepare for a potential Chinese “quarantine” of Taiwan enforced through customs inspections, Stanford University Hoover fellow Eyck Freymann said in a Foreign Affairs article published on Wednesday. China could use various “gray zone” tactics in “reconfiguring the regional and ultimately the global economic order without a war,” said Freymann, who is also a nonresident research fellow at the US Naval War College. China might seize control of Taiwan’s links to the outside world by requiring all flights and ships entering or leaving Taiwan
The next minimum wage hike is expected to exceed NT$30,000, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday during an award ceremony honoring “model workers,” including migrant workers, at the Presidential Office ahead of Workers’ Day today. Lai said he wished to thank the awardees on behalf of the nation and extend his most sincere respect for their hard work, on which Taiwan’s prosperity has been built. Lai specifically thanked 10 migrant workers selected for the award, saying that although they left their home countries to further their own goals, their efforts have benefited Taiwan as well. The nation’s industrial sector and small businesses lay
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