Research has shown that some aspects of cognition decline with age, and that chronic illness increases the risk of poor cognitive function. Studies on diabetes have identified Latinos as experiencing the highest prevalence of Diabetes Type 2, and cognitive research has suggested a correlation between Diabetes Type 2 and cognitive decline. However, inconsistencies exist in prior research on diabetes and cognitive performance which may be due to lack of control for diversity of populations, comorbid conditions, and the use of global measures of cognitive performance.

The present study examined the effects of Diabetes Type 2 on memory, executive function, speed of processing and reasoning in a homogenous Puerto Rican sample. This study extended prior research by examining and controlling comorbid conditions, and by utilizing cognitive measures that have shown specificity to declines in fluid abilities, and were appropriate for a Puerto Rican community. A sample of 204 community-dwelling normal aging adults was recruited from Massachusetts communities with large Latino populations.

Consistent with prior research, results showed significant relationships between age and certain aspects of cognition. Robust effects of diabetes were shown on all aspects of cognition. An interesting finding was that different cognitive abilities showed different patterns of interaction of diabetes by age. Greater deficits for the Diabetes Type 2 participants on tasks that require reorganization, retaining and manipulating information were shown. Results suggest diabetes accelerates the aging process, especially on tasks of complex processing; in the current study the greatest effect of diabetes was demonstrated early in adulthood by the younger adults on fluid intelligence tasks. Possible theories for these findings are discussed.

These results suggest the effect of diabetes on aspects of cognition may be underestimated, especially for ethnic groups. The findings from this study have important implications for the Puerto Rican community and for society at large, as the economic burden of health care for our future aging community could be vast. This represents a major social, economic and public health issue, which would diminish the quality of life for adults with diabetes, and increase the economic burden on society.