According to the CDC, new cases of diabetes nearly doubled in the past decade, with nearly one new case for every 100 adults between the years 2005 and 2007. With the sharp increase of adult-onset diabetes in our population, more women and men are now living with mild but lasting deficits in thought processing, say experts at the American Psychological Association. As diabetes continues to affect younger and younger people, including teens, those deficits could start early and last a lifetime, experts warn.

Research out of Canada’s Victoria Longitudinal Study and published in Neuropsychology is showing how the effects of diabetes on your brain’s functioning actually begin quite early in the disease process.

This means taking action early is especially important if you’ve been told you have prediabetes or if you or someone you know has just been diagnosed with adult-onset diabetes, says researcher Roger Dixon, PhD, at the University of Alberta. “There could be some ways to compensate for these declines,” Dixon advises. The level of impairment detected in the study, he adds, shouldn’t make it hard for people to manage their condition, including eating brain-boosting foods like fish, blueberries and dark leafy greens, using medications effectively and getting professional cognitive training and monitoring.

Diabetes is a known risk factor for late-life neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's.