|
All
the Elderly at Risk for Diabetes
Large amounts of muscle fat or visceral abdominal fat may
put elderly men and women with normal body weight at risk
for developing Type 2 diabetes.
Even though they're not overweight, they may still be at
risk for developing diabetes, says a University of Pittsburgh
study in a past issue of Diabetes Care. An important factor
in that risk is where their body fat is stored.
The prevalence of Type 2 diabetes is highest among men and
women over age 65, but the level of obesity in this group
is only 14 percent, compared with 24 percent for people
in their 50s.
To better understand this, the researchers studied 2,964
men and women, mean age 73.6. The study group was 58.3 percent
white and 48.5 percent male.
Of the people in the study, 51 were classified as having
normal glucose tolerance, 21 percent classified as having
impaired glucose tolerance and 24 percent as having Type
2 diabetes.
The researchers used CT scans to determine muscle and fat
in the thighs and abdomens of the people in the study.
They found that 30 percent of obese men and 34 percent of
obese women had Type 2 diabetes. The study also found that
proportion of intermuscular fat and visceral abdominal fat
was higher in the men and women with Type 2 diabetes and
impaired glucose tolerance.
Among those with diabetes, 22 percent were normal-weight
men and 12 percent were normal-weight women.
Overall, the study found that two-thirds of the men with
diabetes were not obese and there was a similar pattern
in the women.
That suggests that obesity isn't the only factor that causes
diabetes or glucose intolerance in elderly men and women.
Fat distribution is also a key determination of those health
issues in elderly people, the study authors say.
More information
Here's where you can learn more about diabetes.
Article Source: HealthDay
Article Author: N/A
Net Reference 101
|
