High blood sugar has many complications and health risks such as cardiovascular disease, neuropathy, and kidney damage. Its complications also include an increased risk of depression. Learn in this article about the relationship between depression and diabetes.
table of contents:
What are the symptoms of depression?
What are the risk factors for depression?
What are the symptoms of high blood sugar?
What is the relationship between high blood sugar and depression?
Can controlling blood sugar reduce the risk of depression?
Depression is a mental disorder that makes a person feel sad, hopeless, hopeless, unwilling to do normal activities, and unable to enjoy life.
What are the symptoms of depression?
We have all felt depressed at some point in our life. Depression may occur only once, or it may occur repeatedly, or it may be chronic anxiety. The most important psychological symptoms of depression are :
- Feeling sad, hopeless, irritable, or irritable even over simple things.
- Loss of passion and pleasure even when practicing favorite hobbies and activities.
- Sleep disorders, whether sleeping for long periods or inability to sleep and insomnia.
- Slowed thinking, speaking, or body movements
- Constant feelings of guilt, self-flagellation, and worthlessness, focusing on past failures.
- Inability to concentrate, think, and make decisions.
- Recurring thoughts of death, or suicidal thoughts.
The most important physical symptoms of depression are:
- Lethargy and lack of energy, making small tasks take more effort.
- Lack of appetite and weight loss, or gluttony, intense desire to eat and weight gain.
- Unexplained physical pain, such as back pain and headaches.
Symptoms of depression are often severe enough to cause noticeable problems with daily activities, such as work and school, social activities, or relationships with others.
What are the risk factors for depression?
- Genetic factor:
The risk of developing depression increases if a family member suffers from depression , but it is not inevitable because the mechanism of genetic transmission of depression is not completely clear.
- Death or loss of a loved one:
Sadness is a normal reaction to certain situations, but these adversities and pressures may lead to depression, a feeling of lack of value, hope, or purpose in life, and the emergence of suicidal thoughts.
- Personality disorders:
Conflicts, personal disturbances, family problems or work problems may lead to depression .
- Abuse:
Emotional, physical, or sexual abuse, even if it occurred in the past, can lead to depression .
- Life events:
Changes in life, even if they are good things, cause a person to become anxious and temporarily depressed . These changes include:
- Getting a new job, losing a job, or retiring
- Social changes such as marriage or divorce
- Birth of a new baby
Suffering from some diseases:
Depression may be associated with or be a result of another illness. like:
- Sleep problems and anxiety.
- Chronic pain.
- Syndrome of hyperactivity and lack of concentration.
- Diabetes .
Depression and diabetes may occur simultaneously, as high blood sugar is a risk factor for depression as it affects the volume of gray matter in the brain, and fluctuations in blood sugar levels are a risk factor for depression .
According to the study conducted by researchers from Sun Yat-sen University to uncover the relationship between depression and diabetes , it was found that high blood sugar leads to a decrease in the volume of gray matter in the brain, which in turn leads to depression.
Therefore, it is important to recognize the symptoms of diabetes and diagnose it early to control the level of glucose in the blood and prevent its complications.
What are the symptoms of high blood sugar?
Symptoms of high blood sugar appear when your blood glucose level becomes higher than 180 to 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), or 10 to 11.1 millimoles per liter (mmol/L).
Symptoms of high blood sugar develop slowly over several days or weeks. The severity of symptoms increases the longer blood sugar levels remain high . But there are some patients with type 2 diabetes who do not show any symptoms for a long time despite their high blood sugar levels .
read more: All you need to know about type 2 diabetes
What are the early symptoms and signs of diabetes?
Knowing the early symptoms of high blood sugar helps in its early diagnosis and treatment. The most important of these symptoms are:
- Frequent urination and frequent thirst.
- Blurred vision.
- Feeling lethargic and tired.
What are advanced signs and symptoms?
If blood sugar is not controlled , it may cause the accumulation of toxic acids, called ketones, as their levels rise in the blood and urine, and this condition is called ketoacidosis. Its symptoms include:
- Breath smells fruity
- Dry mouth
- Abdominal pain
- Feeling nauseous and vomiting.
- shortness of breath.
- Confusion and loss of consciousness.
read more: Healthy diet for diabetics
What is the relationship between depression and diabetes?
Researchers have found a specific biological mechanism responsible for the association between blood sugar levels and depression .
They reported that a decrease in the volume of gray matter in the brain may be a link between high blood sugar levels and the risk of depression.
This study was recently published in the journal Global Transitions.
Blood sugar, brain structure, and depression
Previous research, which included studying the structure of the brain and was conducted on people suffering from major depression , bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, confirmed the existence of a common factor between these mental illnesses, which is a decrease in the volume of gray matter.
Dr. Hualiang Lin, a professor in the Department of Epidemiology at Sun Yat-sen University, conducted a study aimed at proving the relationship between depression and diabetes or proving that high blood sugar leads to decreased gray matter in the brain .
Dr. Lin said they decided to study the relationship between high blood sugar and an increased risk of depression because previous studies had confirmed the relationship between fluctuations in blood sugar levels and depression without explaining why.
Dr. Lin continued that all research indicates a link between changes in brain structure and function and the development of depression . Evidence suggests that brain structure plays a role in the comorbidity of depression and diabetes . “So we conducted this study to investigate this relationship.”
Details of the study of the relationship between depression and diabetes
This study is based on the use of data from more than 500,000 participants from the UK Biobank aged between 40 and 69 years.
This study used MRI data from hundreds of brain structures, enabling researchers to discover gray matter structures that may be linked to depression.
Upon analysis, the scientists found a “significant association” between higher levels of HbA1c, lower gray matter volume, and depression.
HbA1c is a simple test that helps evaluate sugar levels for the last three months.
The decrease in gray matter volume and the appearance of depression are observed to be higher in people aged 60 years and above.
The decrease in gray matter volume in people with prediabetes was higher than in people with diabetes and those without diabetes.
What is prediabetes?
Prediabetes is a condition in which the blood glucose level is higher than the normal limit. But it is not high enough to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes.
People with prediabetes are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes if they do not make lifestyle changes.
What is the normal level of blood sugar?
- Normal values for fasting blood sugar: 70 mg/dL (3.9 mmol/L) and 100 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/L).
- Prediabetes: If fasting blood sugar is between 100 to 125 mg/dL (5.6 to 6.9 mmol/L), lifestyle changes must be made. And constantly monitor blood sugar levels.
- Diabetes: If your fasting blood sugar is 126 mg/dL (7 mmol/L) or higher on two separate tests.
Can controlling blood sugar reduce the risk of depression?
Blood sugar levels play an important role in brain health, as high blood sugar leads to inflammation of the brain, which leads to decreased cognitive abilities and emotional regulation.
High levels of HbA1c also lead to decreased brain volume in individuals with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes, especially gray matter volume in the hippocampus, thalamus, and prefrontal cortex.
To answer the previous question, more research must be conducted, which includes conducting brain scans to determine the volume of gray matter in people with diabetes or prediabetes who have made lifestyle changes such as following a healthy diet and exercising.
This will enable us to know the possibility of reversing gray matter damage due to diabetes, and thus know the possibility of reducing depression in diabetics.
references
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/symptoms-causes/syc-20356007
https://www.webmd.com/depression/depression-are-you-at-risk
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hyperglycemia/symptoms-causes/syc-20373631
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/prediabetes/symptoms-causes/syc-20355278
