As our bodies age, the chance of type 2 diabetes increases. It is estimated that 25% of adults over the age of 65 have type 2 diabetes, while half of those over 65 have prediabetes. We know that getting type 2 diabetes as an older adult requires a healthy lifestyle and sometimes medication to administer the disease and reduce the chance of diabetes-related complications, but the results Pre-diabetes This age just isn’t completely clear.
What is prediabetes?
Prediabetes is a stage that usually precedes the event of type 2 diabetes. Both diabetes and prediabetes are diagnosed based on laboratory test results. The most traditional test is referred to as fasting plasma glucose (sugar) (FPG). It is generally measured within the morning after fasting for eight to 10 hours. A worth of lower than 100 mg/dL is taken into account normal. An intermediate result (impaired fasting glucose) is 100 to 125 mg/dL, and would indicate prediabetes. A worth equal to or greater than 126 mg/dL is indicative of diabetes. Diabetes and pre-diabetes can be diagnosed with an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Plasma glucose is measured orally before and two hours after drinking a drink containing 75 grams of sugar. A worth lower than 140 mg/dL is taken into account normal, 140 to 199 mg/dL is taken into account intermediate (impaired glucose tolerance/prediabetes), and a price equal to or greater than 200 mg/dL indicates diabetes. she does. A 3rd test to diagnose diabetes and pre-diabetes is the measurement of glycohemoglobin (A1c) within the blood. A worth below 5.7% is taken into account normal, a price between 5.7 and 6.4% is taken into account intermediate (prediabetes), and a price equal to or greater than 6.5% is indicative of diabetes. All of those laboratory tests often require a repeat test to substantiate the diagnosis of prediabetes or diabetes.
What is vital to know if you might have prediabetes?
In young and middle-aged adults, it can be crucial to know if one has pre-diabetes, as this not only increases the chance of developing type 2 diabetes, but is usually related to comorbidities equivalent to obesity, hypertension, and obesity. It also happens in situations. within the blood (equivalent to cholesterol and triglycerides), all of which increase the chance of heart disease. The excellent news is that type 2 diabetes may be prevented, or a minimum of delayed. gave Diabetes prevention program (DPP) showed that in a big cohort with prediabetes, improving eating regimen and interesting in regular physical activity (leading to a 7% weight reduction) reduced the progression of type 2 diabetes by 58%. Caused Therefore, lifestyle changes are generally really useful for all adults diagnosed with prediabetes. In young and middle-aged adults, the usage of certain medications, especially metformin, may be appropriate.
Are the implications of a prediabetes diagnosis as an older adult the identical as a younger or middle-aged adult?
Recent research has provided some interesting information on this issue. The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study followed 4,000 adults aged 45 to 64 within the late Nineteen Eighties. A recent evaluation of three,412 people on this group who were 71 years of age or older found that those that had prediabetes (based on FPG or A1c levels) in the beginning of the evaluation had less prediabetes. were more more likely to remain on this intermediate state or return to normal. After a follow-up period of 6.5 years, glucose values ​​as a substitute of progressing to diabetes. In fact, lower than 12% of individuals within the study progressed from prediabetes to diabetes, irrespective of which test was used to measure blood sugar levels.
These findings would suggest that the presence of prediabetes in older adults is probably not as essential in predicting the chance of progression to type 2 diabetes because it is in younger adults.
Highlights of the brand new research
It is vital to notice that the ARIC study didn’t use all of the diabetes and prediabetes tests previously described. They only used FPG and A1c levels. Therefore, some people might have been identified as having progressed to diabetes if other tests had been included within the evaluation. Second, it is thought that one-third of your complete ARIC study cohort was followed before reaching age 71 from the late 80s, and subsequently was not included on this evaluation. Individuals who didn’t develop diabetes before age 71 can have a lower risk of developing the disease than those that developed it as middle-aged adults within the study population. Finally, the study group consisted primarily of white adults, so the outcomes is probably not fully applicable to other populations at high risk for type 2 diabetes. (In fact, the black subgroup within the study had a better risk of developing type 2 diabetes than their white counterparts). The authors made some significant changes to the evaluation within the study specifically to manage for all of those aspects, nevertheless it is difficult to completely eliminate their potential role within the study results.
You can't go mistaken with maintaining a healthy diet and being energetic, irrespective of what age you were diagnosed with prediabetes.
Although it's possible that having prediabetes as an older adult doesn't have the identical implications because it does in young adults, following general lifestyle recommendations for maintaining a healthy diet and interesting in regular physical activity may help. Doing so seems sensible when possible. In fact, healthy lifestyle changes were very successful in reducing the chance of type 2 diabetes in people aged 65 and older in DPP. Living a healthy lifestyle as an older person provides many additional health advantages to the body and mind.
It is vital to acknowledge that not all older adults are in a position to follow these recommendations, resulting from the presence of multiple acute and chronic medical problems that affect their eating habits and limit their physical activity. , and managing these conditions could also be more essential than usual. increase their blood sugar levels. Finally, it's essential to debate the implications of a prediabetes diagnosis along with your health care providers, and individualize your treatment.