Rules change for older people developing Type 2 diabetes
Q: Is it true that only over weight elderly men and women are at risk for developing Type 2 diabetes? A: No, elderly men and women with normal body weight still may be at risk for developing Type 2 diabetes if they have large amounts of muscle fat or visceral abdominal fat, says Bret H. Goodpaster, Ph.D., of the University of Pittsburgh division of endocrinology and metabolism. He is the principal investigator for a study published in the February issue of the journal Diabetes Care.
“Our study found that, even though an elderly person may not be overweight, he or she might still be at risk for developing diabetes. An important factor is where in the body their excess fat is stored.”
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. In Type 2 diabetes, either the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin. Insulin is necessary for the body to be able to use sugar. Sugar is the basic fuel for the cells in the body, and insulin takes the sugar from the blood into the cells.
When glucose builds up in the blood instead of going into cells, high blood glucose levels may hurt your eyes, kidneys, nerves or heart or cells may be starved for energy.
Although the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes is highest among men and women over the age of 65, the prevalence of obesity in this group is only 14 percent compared with 24 percent for people in their 50s, according to Goodpaster.
“It appears that in elderly individuals, there might be some disassociation between obesity and the risk for insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes,” he said.
The study found that among those with Type 2 diabetes, 22 percent were normal-weight men and 12 percent were normal-weight women. Another 14 percent of men and 22 percent of women had impaired glucose tolerance.
Taken from another perspective, this means that two thirds of men with Type 2 diabetes were not obese. A similar pattern emerged for women.
This suggests that obesity, per se, is not required for diabetes or glucose intolerance in elderly men and women.
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Send your questions to Steve Infanti, A Fit Life columnist, at Wheeling Jesuit University, sinfanti(at)nttc.edu.