Diabetes and Aging Do Not Have To Go Together 

Is there any connection with Diabetes and aging, or can this challenging condition happen to anyone at any age.

The answer is yes it can, but as we all get older, this disease has one major target; us.

As we begin to age and pass the 55 year old mark, our bodies are slowing down in several ways.

And with each passing year, the majority of us will slow down even more.

With this disease, this is perhaps the worst thing we can do for several reasons, as they may be some of the underlying reasons for it attacking us.

Interesting Facts With the Connection Between Diabetes and Aging

Here are some interesting numbers with the connection with Diabetes and aging.

• 40% of all new cases occur in people 65 years or older
• It is considered the most common disease in older adults
• 90% of all cases are the type 2 form

However, there are also some other interesting facts about this very common disease.

It is not a disease by itself; instead it is a group of diseases that affects how our body uses glucose, better known as sugar.

Here is why the effects on our glucose are so important.

• Glucose is vital if we want to remain healthy
• It is critical to our cells to properly make energy
• It helps to make our tissues and our muscles
• It is our brains major source of food

Take a minute and think about the last reason; the major source of food for our brain.

As we all get older, keeping our brain functioning like it always has, is not only important, it is critical to all of us.

If we begin to develop too much glucose in our blood, it can and will begin to trigger several medical conditions.

The Two Most Common Forms

There are two forms of this connection with Diabetes and aging, Type 1 and Type 2.

 However, there is another form that is not as well known; prediabetes.

This is a situation where if we can identify it early and control before it turns into either of the two most common forms, we may be able to stop it.

With this form, our levels of glucose are beginning to increase, but are not high enough to be officially classified as either form.

This is where the symptoms and the connection with Diabetes and aging really begin to emerge.

However, there is very challenging aspect about the pre-form and the type 2 form. We may not experience any of the symptoms in the early stages with either of them.

Here is the first set of symptoms.

• A slow development of “increased thirst” that will intensify over time
• Because of this, we will have to urinate a lot more
• We may not be able to control this “frequent urination”
• The slow onset of fatigue and just feeling tired
• A slow development of irritability and being short with everyone

However, while the type 1 form is not anywhere near as common as type 2, there will be a different reaction to these symptoms.

Watch These Symptoms

In most all cases, these symptoms and the next set will hit very rapidly, and be a lot more severe in nature.

Here is the second set in the connection with Diabetes and aging.

• Being very hungry all of the time
• In spite of this, we will begin to lose weight
• Slow developing vision issues, including blurred vision
• A sudden increase in infections in our gums and skin
• If cut or bruised, the sores will heal a lot slower than normal
• The development of ketones in our urine

The development of ketones is a real warning sign, for several reasons.

Ketones are small pieces of our muscle and fat that has begun to break down, as there are no longer significant amounts of insulin in our body

Healthy Aging With Diabetes

If we are able to catch this in a physical, it will be critical in helping to control it and can help with healthy aging with diabetes. 

Insulin is a hormone that is made in our pancreas. Our pancreas, if everything is operating properly, will secret our insulin into our blood.

Once it is there, it allows sugar to go into our cells. However, its most important function is to control the amount of sugar entering our blood.

This is where the role of glucose, sugar, comes into play with Diabetes and aging.

• The food that we eat and our liver produces glucose
• It is absorbed into our blood, and then enters into our cells
• Insulin helps this process
• Our liver will store it and monitor the levels
• If it becomes low, our liver reacts and breaks down what is stored and then releases more

Our liver will release just enough to keep the levels at the normal range.

The Actual Cause?

There is another challenging aspect with this disease, the actual cause.

The type 1, to this date, still has no known actual cause, but what is known, is what happens. 

Our immune system, again for reason not fully understood, attacks our insulin cells in our pancreas, which almost destroys our insulin.

With type 2, the connection with Diabetes and aging intensifies.

Our cells and pancreas are aging just like we are, and our pancreas is not making enough insulin to fight back.

Once this occurs, instead of transporting it to our cells, the sugar begins to slowing build up in our blood.

The general consensus in the medical community is that this is caused by being overweight, but there are also several other risk factors.

Here are the most common risk factors with Diabetes and aging

• Age—again 40 percent of all new cases are in people 65 and older
• Being overweight -as fatty tissues affects our cells and insulin
• Inactivity—a huge contributor
• High blood pressure—another major factor
• High cholesterol—perhaps the single biggest cause

Age is number one of the list simply because of the number of us being affected, but if you step back and think about, we also fall into most of the other  risk factors.

Fatty Cells React With Our Cells

If we become overweight, our fatty tissues begin to interfere with how our insulin reacts with our cells.

Being active as we get older is critical for one simple reason; energy. Glucose is used as energy when we exercise, which activates our cells.

Once activated, they are a lot more sensitive to insulin.

High blood pressure can easily trigger it, and high cholesterol is perhaps the single biggest cause as triglycerides are another type of fat present in our blood.

This fat is very dangerous for several reasons, and this is the biggest one.

As well all begin to age, eating the right diet and exercising is critical, even if it is just simple walking.

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