Diabetes 'leads to diminished brain power'

London, March 5 : Diabetic retinopathy could be associated with poorer memory and diminished brain power in people with Type 2 diabetes, according to a new research.

For the study, researchers at Edinburgh University looked at 1,066 people with type 2 diabetes aged between 60 and 75.

Participants in the study completed seven tests focusing on memory, logic and concentration to establish their level of brain function.

The researchers found that those with retinopathy had worse scores on most of the individual tests, as well as on general cognitive ability, compared with those without the condition.

"These findings suggest that the severity of diabetic retinopathy is independently associated with cognitive dysfunction in people with type 2 diabetes aged 60 to 75," the Scotsman quoted Jie Ding, from Edinburgh University, lead author of the study, as saying.