Maintaining healthy blood sugar levels is not only important to diabetics’ physical health, but also has a significant benefit on mood, new research shows.
The study, published in the in the journal Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics, found when blood sugar levels go unchecked, people with diabetes tend to suffer more symptoms of depression and other mood disorders, including anxiety and anger, that affect the overall quality of life.
The research, led by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago, suggests a better understanding of the relationship between blood-sugar variability and psychological disorders can lead to more effective strategies for patient management.
"Mood disorders and their association with poor glucose control that can lead to long-term diabetes complications are of great concern," said Dr. Satish Garg, editor of the journal. "We still do not know which comes first. This needs further investigation, especially using newer technologies such as continuous glucose monitoring."
For the new study, researchers monitored the glucose levels of a group of women with type 2 diabetes and found wider swings in blood sugar were associated with negative moods and lower quality of life.