Type 2 diabetes can negatively affect the health of a person regardless of age. However, middle-aged people and older seniors are usually more affected by this type of diabetes. There are several reasons why seniors are more affected with type 2 diabetes, and the reasons are not only connected with problems with obesity or living a sedentary way of life. Type 1 diabetes is believed that is caused because of an auto-immune reaction and is more common in children and younger people, while type 2 diabetes mainly occurs because of leading an unhealthy lifestyle.
As mentioned, there are many risk factors and reasons that affect adults to develop type 2 diabetes. It may be a combination of several factors and health issues. Some specific factors can significantly increase the risk of developing this type of diabetes, but leading an unhealthy lifestyle is the main cause in many cases. Some factors that contribute towards increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes are the following. First, being over the age of 45 significantly raises the chances of developing this type of diabetes. If you come from ethnicities that bear a high risk of developing or are overweight, you are also likely to get type 2 diabetes. Having vascular disease, high blood pressure, high triglyceride levels or you lead an inactive lifestyle all to contribute towards the development of type 2 diabetes.
Several studies have previously pointed out that the large majority of diabetes patients are struggling with excessive weight or are obese. This is also a group that has a high risk of developing type 2 diabetes, regardless of their age. Losing extra weight can significantly lower down chances or delay the development of type 2 diabetes. If you happen to have pre-diabetes that do not mean that you will eventually develop type 2 diabetes. However, if your blood sugar is high, then the risk is higher. Therefore, it is vital to take some steps and measures to prevent the development of this condition.
Another interesting fact is that besides older people, certain ethnic groups also have a higher risk of getting type 2 diabetes. Those ethnicities are Asian-American, African-American, Hispanic, Native American, Pacific Islanders, and others. It rarely happens for children to develop type 2 diabetes, but it is not impossible. For a child to develop this type of diabetes, there must be someone in their immediate family that has had type 2 diabetes. Having a mother who had diabetes while being pregnant, being resistant to insulin or belonging to a high-risk ethnic group are a few other factors that can lead to the development of type 2 diabetes in children.
In conclusion, we can say that adult people over the age of 45 are most affected by type 2 diabetes. That is why it is imperative for people over age 45 to visit their doctor and get diabetes checkups regularly. In addition to that, people below the age of 45, but with high-risk factors for developing this type of diabetes, such as obesity, family history for diabetes, or belonging to risky ethnicity should also go on regular diabetes screenings. Due to the big connection between inactivity, obesity, and type 2 diabetes, you should always try to live healthy, be physically active and maintain proper body weight. All of that can reduce the risk of developing this type of diabetes. Even if you have pre-diabetes, which is a condition when your blood sugar is above the normal limits, but not that high to be qualified as diabetes, you can still reverse the situation by changing some of your habits. If you are over age 45 and you experience problems with weight or blood pressure, you should see your doctor.
John Bassett is a urologist in California. He received his medical degree from the Keck School of Medicine of USC. TikTok, Youtube, Vimeo, Dailymotion
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