TYPE-2 DIABETES MAY SHORTEN LIFE EXPECTANCY BY UP TO 14 YEARS

-

 

TYPE-2 DIABETES MAY SHORTEN LIFE EXPECTANCY BY UP TO 14 YEARS

    




An individual diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at age 30 years could see their life expectancy fall by as much as 14 years, an international team of researchers has warned.

Even people who do not develop the condition until later in life -- with a diagnosis at age 50 years -- could see their life expectancy fall by up to six years, an analysis of data from 19 high-income countries found.

The researchers say the findings, published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, highlight the urgent need to develop and implement interventions that prevent or delay the onset of diabetes, significantly as the prevalence of diabetes among younger adults is rising globally.

Increasing levels of obesity, poor diet, and increased sedentary behavior are driving a rapid rise in the number of cases of type 2 diabetes worldwide. In 2021, 537 million adults were estimated to have diabetes worldwide, with an increasing number diagnosed at younger ages.

Type 2 diabetes increases an individual's risk of various complications, including heart attack, stroke, kidney problems, and cancer. Previous estimates have suggested that adults with type 2 diabetes die, on average, six years earlier than adults without diabetes. There is uncertainty, however, about how this average reduction in life expectancy varies according to age at diagnosis.

To answer this question, a team led by scientists at the University of Cambridge and the University of Glasgow examined data from two major international studies -- the Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration and UK Biobank -- comprising 1.5 million individuals.

The earlier an individual was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, the more significant the reduction in their life expectancy. Overall, every decade of earlier diagnosis of diabetes was associated with about four years of reduced life expectancy.

Using data from the US population, it was estimated that individuals with type 2 diabetes diagnosed at ages 30, 40, and 50 years died on average about 14, 10, and 6 years earlier, respectively than individuals without the condition. These estimates were slightly higher in women (16, 11, and 7 years, respectively) than in men (14, 9, and 5 years, respectively).

The findings were broadly similar in analyses using EU data, with corresponding estimates being about 13, 9, or 5 years earlier death on average.

Professor Emanuele Di Angelantonio from the Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Heart and Lung Research Institute (VPD-HLRI), University of Cambridge, said: "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."

Dr. Stephen Kaptoge, also from the VPD-HLRI, said: "Type 2 diabetes can be prevented if those at most significant risk can be identified and offered support -- whether that's to make changes to their behavior or to provide medication to lower their risk. 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.

"Given the impact type 2 diabetes will have on people's lives, preventing -- or at least delaying the onset -- of the condition should be an urgent priority."

The researchers found that most of the reduction in life expectancy associated with diabetes was due to 'vascular deaths' -- deaths related to conditions such as heart attack, stroke, and aneurysms. Other complications, such as cancer, also contributed to lowering life expectancy.

Professor Naveed Sattar from the Institute of Cardiovascular & Medical Sciences, University of Glasgow, added: "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. 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."

The Cambridge team was supported by the Medical Research Council, British Heart Foundation, Health Data Research UK, and NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre.





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PEOPLE WITH OBESITY BURN LESS CALORIES DURING THE DAY

-
Image
  PEOPLE WITH OBESITY BURN LESS CALORIES DURING THE DAY Building on prior studies with healthy-weight participants, the new research includes different body sizes.         New research indicates that weight influences how and when bodies burn energy. An Oregon Health & Science University study published in the journal  Obesity  found people who have a healthy weight use more energy during the day, when most people are active and eat, while those who are obese spend more energy during the night when most people sleep. The study also found that during the day, those with obesity have higher levels of the hormone insulin -- a sign that the body is working harder to use glucose, an energy-packed sugar. "It was surprising to learn how dramatically the timing of when our bodies burn energy differed in those with obesity," said the study's first author, Andrew McHill, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the OHSU School of Nursing and the Oregon Institute of ...
Read more

WHAT CAUSES ITCHING, AND WHAT STOPS IT?

-
Image
  WHAT CAUSES ITCHING, AND WHAT STOPS IT?         It can be a relief to scratch the occasional itch, but when itch gets out of control, it can become a severe health problem. How does the body know when to stop? Scientists at UC San Francisco are getting close to an answer. In a breakthrough that could transform how doctors treat conditions from eczema to allergies, they have discovered a feedback loop centered on a single immune protein called IL-31 that causes the urge to itch and dials back nearby inflammation. The findings, published on October 13th in  Science Immunology , lay the groundwork for a new generation of drugs that interact more intelligently with the body's innate self-regulating ability. Previous approaches suggested that IL-31 signals itch and promotes skin inflammation. However, the UCSF team discovered that nerve cells, or neurons, that respond to IL-31, triggering a scratch, also prevent immune cells from overreacting and causing more ...
Read more

A VEGAN DIET IMPROVES CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH, ACCORDING TO A NEW STUDY

-
Image
  A VEGAN DIET IMPROVES CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH, ACCORDING TO A NEW STUDY         In a study with 22 pairs of identical twins, Stanford Medicine researchers and their colleagues have found that a vegan diet improves cardiovascular health in as little as eight weeks. Although it's well-known that eating less meat improves cardiovascular health, diet studies often need to be enhanced by genetic differences, upbringing, and lifestyle choices. By studying identical twins, however, the researchers were able to control for genetics and limit the other factors, as the twins grew up in the same households and reported similar lifestyles. "Not only did this study provide a groundbreaking way to assert that a vegan diet is healthier than the conventional omnivore diet, but the twins were also a riot to work with," said Christopher Gardner, Ph.D., the Rehnborg Farquhar Professor and a professor of medicine. "They dressed the same, they talked the same, and they had a banter ...
Read more