Women with type 2 diabetes face significantly lower dementia risk the longer their reproductive years last, a new study has found.
A joint research team led by Professor Lee Seung-hwan of the Division of Endocrinology at the Catholic University of Korea's Seoul St. Mary's Hospital and Professor Han Kyung-do of the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science at Soongsil University announced the findings on Tuesday. The team tracked 159,751 postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes for an average of 8.3 years using big data from the National Health Insurance Service.
Dementia has emerged as one of the fastest-growing geriatric diseases worldwide as populations age rapidly. The World Health Organization estimates more than 55 million people globally have dementia and projects the figure will reach 150 million by 2050. South Korea is no exception. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare's 2023 Dementia Epidemiology Survey, the prevalence rate among adults aged 65 and older reached 9.25 percent. Women account for approximately 58.8 percent of all dementia patients, indicating a notably higher incidence.
