Blood Glucose

Blood glucose measures circulating blood sugar levels, which are regulated primarily by the pancreas using insulin. Glucose levels are used to diagnose and monitor diabetes, with the liver playing a key role in storage and release for homeostatic maintenance, or balance. Emerging evidence demonstrates strong connections between dysregulated glucose metabolism and brain health risk, including dementia, with our model ranking glucose as highly predictive (8 out of 10) for Brain Health. Multiple population studies have identified robust links between type 2 diabetes, blood glucose, and dementia across diverse cohorts.[52] [53] [54] [55] [56]

[52]Li J, Liu C, Ang TFA, Au R. Associations of Mid- and Late-Life Fasting Blood Glucose Levels With Dementia Risk Among Patients With Diabetes: Framingham Heart Study. Eur J Neurol. 2025;32(2):e70062. doi:10.1111/ene.70062

[53]Lin CL, Chien WC, Lin CP, Chung CH, Wu FL. Poor glycemic status as a risk factor for dementia in type 2 diabetes population: Findings from the Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Database. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2025;222:112065. doi:10.1016/j.diabres.2025.112065

[54]Schwartz SS, Herman ME, Tun MTH, Barone E, Butterfield DA. The double life of glucose metabolism: brain health, glycemic homeostasis, and your patients with type 2 diabetes. BMC Med. 2024;22(1):582. doi:10.1186/s12916-024-03763-8

[55]Sun J, Tu X, Wang S, et al. Association between the American heart association’s life’s essential 8 score and cognitive function: a cross-sectional NHANES study. BMC Geriatr. 2025;25(1):435. doi:10.1186/s12877-025-05917-6

[56]Lee JY, Han K, Kim J, Lim JS, Cheon DY, Lee M. Association Between Metabolic Syndrome and Young-Onset Dementia: A Nationwide Population-Based Study. Neurology. 2025;104(10):e213599. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000213599