Researchers found that glucose changes in type 1 diabetes affected cognitive processing speed but not sustained attention.
Large glucose variations were linked to decreased processing speed, as measured by computerized
symptom matching reaction time, according to data from continuous glucose monitors gathered every 5 minutes by Zoë Hawks, PhD, of McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts, and colleagues
Gradual onset continuous performance test showed no association between glucose variations and sustained attention.
"We don't think large glucose fluctuations are healthy for the body, but our results suggest that when your glucose is much
different from what your body is used to, your thinking may be slower or more sluggish," MedPage Today quoted McLean Institute for Technology in Psychiatry co-author Laura Germine, PhD.
Maintaining stable glucose is important for overall health and will likely result in more stable cognitive function as well from hour to hour and day to day."
Cognitive susceptibility to glucose variations varied by individual, suggesting they may affect some more than others.