Good for the elderly
Type 2 diabetes is often milder than type 1 . But it can still cause major health complications, especially in the tiny blood vessels in your kidneys, nerves, and eyes. Type 2 also raises your risk of heart disease and stroke.
Type 1 diabetes typically begins in childhood, but also may first begin in adulthood . This form is typically caused by an autoimmune disorder, meaning that the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks cells that make insulin.
You can develop type 2 diabetes at any age , even during childhood. However, type 2 diabetes occurs most often in middle-aged and older people. You are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes if you are age 45 or older, have a family history of diabetes , or are overweight or obese.
The ADA says that half of Americans 65 and older have prediabetes, which means that nearly 25 million seniors are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes . That is a staggeringly high number, given that another 25 percent of the senior population already has diabetes .
Although there’s no cure for type 2 diabetes , studies show it’s possible for some people to reverse it. Through diet changes and weight loss, you may be able to reach and hold normal blood sugar levels without medication. This doesn’t mean you’re completely cured. Type 2 diabetes is an ongoing disease.
No cure for diabetes currently exists, but the disease can go into remission. When diabetes goes into remission, it means that the body does not show any signs of diabetes , although the disease is technically still present.
Upon analysis, investigators found the average person with type 1 diabetes was 42.8 years of age and had a life expectancy from now of 32.6 years. In comparison, people the same age without diabetes were expected to live 40.2 years from now.
Most people with type 1 diabetes die from complications of type 1 diabetes such as heart disease or kidney disease. Thus, preventing complications and following a healthy lifestyle that prevents heart disease and controls blood sugar are the best things people with type 1 diabetes can do to live a long, healthy life.
About 1 in 4 adults over age 60 have diabetes . Having the disease makes you more likely to get some serious complications. And so does getting older. The combination of the two can even make some health problems worse .
Life Expectancy With Type 2 Diabetes More than 90% of people with diabetes have type 2 . Type 2 diabetes is more frequently diagnosed in adulthood than childhood. According to some estimates, having type 2 diabetes can shorten your life by about 10 years.
Normal blood sugar levels are less than 100 mg/dL after not eating (fasting) for at least eight hours. And they’re less than 140 mg/dL two hours after eating. During the day, levels tend to be at their lowest just before meals.
If type 2 diabetes goes untreated, the high blood sugar can affect various cells and organs in the body. Complications include kidney damage, often leading to dialysis, eye damage, which could result in blindness, or an increased risk for heart disease or stroke.
A reading of less than 100 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/L) is normal. A level from 100 to 125 mg/dL (5.6 to 6.9 mmol/L) is considered prediabetes. If your fasting blood sugar is 126 mg/dL (7 mmol/L) or higher on two separate tests, you have diabetes . Oral glucose tolerance test.
The highest blood sugar level that’s considered safe will depend on the person and whether they have diabetes , but will typically be between 160 to 240 mg/dL.
Type 2 diabetes is bad for many reasons. High glucose levels damage nerve and blood vessels, leading to heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney disease, and gum infections. Advanced type 2 diabetes can result in blindness and the need to amputate limbs that no longer get adequate circulation.