The data showing that preventing Type 2 diabetes decreases the risk for dementia keeps getting stronger.

A 2021 study found that the younger you are when diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, the greater your risk of dementia. For people ages 70 and older without diabetes, the rate of dementia is about 9 in 1,000 people — less than 1%.

But for folks who are diagnosed with diabetes at age 60, the rate doubles to around 18 in 1,000 people. And it keeps going up the earlier you develop diabetes.

Another study in JAMA Neurology looked at 20 years of data on 253,000 people ages 50 and older. It found that people with an A1C (blood sugar) reading of 9% to 10% at least half the time were three times more likely to develop dementia. In contrast, people who had more than half their readings at 8%, 7%, or 6% did remarkably better at dodging dementia.

Look at it as I do: The longer you avoid Type 2 diabetes by using stress management, physical activity, healthy nutritional choices, and other healthy lifestyle decisions, the longer you'll have normal brain function.

Get 300 minutes of physical activity weekly; enjoy quality sleep; avoid highly processed and sugar-added foods; adopt stress management techniques; and cultivate a network of caring friends.

And to reinforce control of your glucose levels, ask your doctor about medication options, including the newest ones called GLP-1 receptor agonists and SGLT-2 inhibitors.

Now that's using your brain power.