New Study Brings Clarity On Diabetes and Life Expectancy

Type 2 diabetes is rising in younger adults not only in the USA, but around the world.  The disease could take up to 14 years off their lives according to a new study using data from 19 high-income countries.   

Key Points

• More than 37 million people in the United States have diabetes, and 96 million US adults—over a third—have prediabetes.  Up to 20% are not aware of their condition. 
• A new study shows that every ten years of an earlier diagnosis of type 2 diabetes cuts off about four years of life expectancy.   
• Diabetes is the eighth leading cause of death in the United States.

New Study Brings Clarity                                         

Using U.S. population data, on average people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at 30, 40 and 50 years of age died on average about 14, 10 and six years earlier, respectively, than those without the condition.

In the past, experts believed that type 2 diabetes would shave about six years off a person’s life. 

However, this new study shows that the longer someone lives with diabetes, the heavier the toll on the body.

The estimates are even worse for women, who died 16, 11 and seven years earlier.

“Type 2 diabetes used to be seen as a disease that affected older adults, but we’re increasingly seeing people diagnosed earlier in life. As we’ve shown, this means they are at risk of a much shorter life expectancy than they would otherwise have,” said study author Emanuele Di Angelantonio and professor of clinical epidemiology at the University of Cambridge’s Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Heart and Lung Research Institute (VPD-HLRI) in the United Kingdom.

Deaths due to heart, stroke, and cancer were often the reason for the shorter life expectancy.  

The Big Picture

•  Diabetes can lead to a dangerous buildup of glucose (sugar) in the blood, causing serious damage to blood vessels and nerves.   

• 1 in 5 of the 37 million people with diabetes in the US do not know they have it. 

• More than 530 million people worldwide have diabetes. 

•  In the last 20 years, the number of adults diagnosed with diabetes has more than doubled as the US population has aged and become more overweight or obese.

Differences between type 1 and type 2 diabetes?

There are two main types of diabetes with different underlying causes.

Type 1 diabetes

• The pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin, which is the hormone that helps carry glucose to the body’s cells to use for energy. 
• Five to 10% of people with diabetes have type 1 which is usually diagnosed before age 20.

A recent study from Scotland showed that men with type 1 diabetes lose an estimated 11 years and women 13 years of life.  

Type 2 diabetes

• The body has enough insulin, but the cells don’t use it properly which leads to a buildup of blood sugar. 
• More than 90% of people with diabetes have type 2 and are usually diagnosed as adults. 

Increasing Levels of Diabetes

The study also showed that root causes for the increase seen both in the USA and around the world include: 

• Higher levels of obesity
• Sedentary behavior and lack of exercise
• Poor diet 

“Type 2 diabetes can be prevented if those at greatest risk can be identified and offered support — whether that’s to make changes to their behavior or to provide medication to lower their risk,” Stephen Kaptoge, a principal research associate at VPD-HLRI, said in a University of Cambridge news release.

“But there are also structural changes that we as a society should be pursuing, including relating to food manufacturing, changes to the built environment to encourage more physical activity, and so on,” Kaptoge added.

How to Live a Long Life with Diabetes

Getting checked for diabetes is key to managing the disease. If you know you have diabetes, take these steps to live the healthiest—and longest—life possible:

• Eat healthy food and stay active most days.
• Test your blood sugar often and take medicines as prescribed.
• Learn ways to manage stress and the emotional side of diabetes.
• Go to checkups.

Healthcare providers who have experience treating diabetes can help patients stay healthy. 

The longer you have diabetes, the higher the chance of suffering from complications caused by high blood sugar levels. 

“Our findings support the idea that the younger an individual is when they develop type 2 diabetes, the more damage their body accumulates from its impaired metabolism,” said Naveed Sattar, a professor/honorary consultant at the Institute of Cardiovascular Medical Sciences at the University of Glasgow, in Scotland.

“But the findings also suggest that early detection of diabetes by screening followed by intensive glucose management could help prevent long-term complications from the condition,” Sattar stressed.

Knowledge Can Save Your Life

1 in 3 US adults has prediabetes and is at high risk for type 2 diabetes.  How about you?  

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have a 1-minute test to find out your risk of prediabetes.

Take the test here.

Final Thoughts

It’s important to get checked for diabetes or pre-diabetes on a regular basis.  If diabetes is confirmed, then the next step is learning how to manage blood sugar levels through behavior, diet, or medication.  

To learn more, check out the following sites:

10 Warning Signs of Diabetes

Understanding Type 2 Diabetes.

9 Healthy Breakfast Choices for People With Diabetes

Image by jcomp on Freepik