Influence of Glycaemic Control on Cognitive Function in Diabetic Children and Adolescents

Abstract

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the number of people with diabetes has risen to 422 million in 2014. Poorly managed diabetes leads to chronic hyper and/or hypoglycaemia, which are associated with neurological complications in type 1 (T1DM) and type 2 (T2DM) diabetes mellitus. Therefore, the primary target of diabetic treatment is to achieve a good glycaemic control (GC). In this chapter, we reviewed studies published up to September 2017 about GC and cognitive development in diabetic children and adolescents, as well as the nutritional approaches used for the management of diabetes in childhood, focusing on low glycaemic index (GI) diets. According to different studies, low GI diets effectively improve GC, which may reduce the risk of diabetes-related complications, such as cognitive dysfunction; however, the evidence is not sufficiently robust and the results are inconclusive. Despite the fact that, low GI diets are consistent with healthy eating recommendations and should be encouraged in the prevention and nutritional management of diabetes. Further research is needed in diabetic children and adolescents at risk, especially well-designed long-term randomised controlled trials, with larger sample size, to determine the true value of low GI diets on long-term GC and diabetes prevention and management.

Provitamin A cassava hydrolysate with Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG regulates weight gain, lipids and postprandial glycemia in wistar rats and humans

“…Significant glycemic control is an essential factor in preventing or delaying diabetes, obesity and other cardiovascular diseases (Unadike et al, 2010). The primary target in the treatment of diabetes is the ability to achieve good glycemic control (Castillo et al, 2018).…”

Long-Term Effects and Potential Impact of Early Nutrition with Breast Milk or Infant Formula on Glucose Homeostasis Control in Healthy Children at 6 Years Old: A Follow-Up from the COGNIS Study

“…Consequently, nutrition during the first 1000 days of life constitutes a window of opportunity in the development of future health outcomes since it is a key factor in the prevention and protection against different metabolic disorders later in life [ 13 ]. In this line, an intrauterine environment with an excess of glucose might promote adipogenesis, resulting in a long-term metabolic risk to the offspring [ 13 ]. Thus, changes both in quantity and quality of nutrients during this period may permanently influence organs’ maturation and function, better known as ‘early nutrition programming’ [ 14 ].…”

Assessment of cognitive function in young children with type 1 diabetes mellitus using electrophysiological tests

“…It has been observed in patients with type 1 diabetes that the ideal control of blood sugar had a positive impact on the cognitive process and cognitive performance. Once the glucose control was improved, this was accompanied by a significant improvement in motor efficiency and speed, increased attention rates and verbal intelligence, in addition to a positive effect on memory and academic achievement 12 . One of the tools used recently in cognitive neuroscience studies is event‐related potential (ERP), which assesses the physiological processes of sensory, perceptual, and cognitive performance related to information processing 13 .…”

“…Once the glucose control was improved, this was accompanied by a significant improvement in motor efficiency and speed, increased attention rates and verbal intelligence, in addition to a positive effect on memory and academic achievement. 12 One of the tools used recently in cognitive neuroscience studies is event-related potential (ERP), which assesses the physiological processes of sensory, perceptual, and cognitive performance related to information processing. 13 The most common event-related auditory potentials are cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs) and involve several waves, the most common of which are P1, N1, and P2.…”