A new study presented at the 28th European Congress of Endocrinology (ECE 2026) in Prague, 9–12 May, found that dementia risk varies by diabetes type and treatment, with insulin users facing the greatest risk.
Key findings:
- Researchers from Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong and Samsung Medical Center tracked over 1.3 million South Korean adults aged 40+ without dementia from 2013–2024.
- Compared to people without diabetes:
- Type 2 diabetes on oral meds: ∼1.3x higher risk of dementia
- Type 2 diabetes using insulin: 2.1x higher risk
- Type 1 diabetes: 2.4x higher risk
- The pattern held for both Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.
Why it matters:
Lead author Prof. Ji Eun Jun noted this suggests “not all types of diabetes carry the same risk” and that people with insulin-dependent treatment “may be particularly vulnerable to cognitive decline”. Recurrent hypoglycemia and greater glucose fluctuations in insulin-treated patients may partly explain the link.
Implications:
The authors recommend recognizing diabetes as a brain health risk factor, not just metabolic. Prevention strategies like earlier cognitive monitoring and improving long-term glucose stability, such as continuous glucose monitoring, should be considered in routine diabetes care.
The study was published in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism.