Just when we thought we knew how bad diabetes is, we get some new information that tells us it’s even worse.

The latest data links the disease to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s, and shows how diabetes appears to help dementia take hold faster once it sets in.

A study published recently in the journal Diabetes Care found that brain functioning begins to slow as the blood sugar levels rise in Type 2 diabetics. These changes begin to take place in the brain even before there are noticeable memory problems.

At the same time, a study being conducted by Columbia University is showing that Alzheimer’s patients with a history of diabetes and high cholesterol worsen faster than others. Those results are in a recent issue of the Archives of Neurology.

The same journal points out that insulin plays a major role in the brain and memory, so when your body becomes resistant to it, your brain also suffers.

Diabetics who rely on insulin also know one of its worst side effects: It can cause or worsen obesity, making your blood sugar extremely difficult to control.

Perhaps the only reason the link between diabetes and Alzheimer’s isn’t more obvious is because many diabetics die of heart disease or other conditions before dementia has a chance to strike.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Diabetes is a disease that many of us can avoid by making the proper lifestyle choices. That’s no easy task when the diet advice we’ve been given for so long has been so wrong, but diabetes rarely strikes without warning.

It’s like standing out in the plains when the sky begins to darken and the rumble of thunder can heard in the distance. You know it’s time to get out of there, or you might get hit by lightning.

That’s why it’s more important than ever for the 57 million of us who may be pre-diabetic to do something about it now, before the storm hits.

This diabetes epidemic is a direct result of what I call the Torture Chamber Diet, which focuses on low fat and tons of sugar-laden carbs. That diet has played a huge role in fostering diabetes, high blood pressure and even metabolic syndrome – a disease you might not even realize you have. I’ll tell you all about it in the June issue of Health Revelations.

Stay out of the torture chamber by eating a good mix of healthy fats and proteins. Avoid foods in the supermarket that shout “LOW FAT!” on the label – those are almost always high-carb tickets into the chamber.

Be sure to get some exercise, too. No one has to join a fancy gym, but we can all move around a little more – even long walks in a park or some light jogging can help you out immeasurably, as long as you keep at it.

Stay out of the torture chamber, watch your weight and you won’t just avoid diabetes – you’ll live a lot better, healthier, and probably be happier too.