Late onset diabetes is a condition that occurs later in a person’s life cycle versus in adolescence. The disease is characterized by the body’s resistance to the absorption of insulin or to a deficiency in the insulin itself. Both conditions lead to an abundance of glucose in the blood, or hyperglycemia. As insulin assist the cells with energy intake, this deviation causes the cells to starve and are unable to function properly. In addition, organs, tissues, and muscles that maintain a heightened glucose level may suffer permanent damage.
Diabetes late onset usually occurs for a variety of reasons in addition to family history. Health issues tend to play a major role in late onset diabetes in adults. Individuals who are overweight or obese are at increased risk not only due to their excessive size, but also because of the lifestyle that supported it. For example, a poor or high fat diet, lack of exercise, and high blood pressure can accelerate the likelihood of developing this condition.
For some individuals, even if they take measures to eat nutritious foods, they may still be in a danger zone simply due to their age or ethnicity. An individual over forty-five is very likely to suffer from late onset diabetes and that rate increases even more with another twenty years of aging. Ethnicity is another factor that cannot be controlled. Studies have shown that Caucasians are less prone to developing this disease than African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, Japanese-Americans, and Native Americans.
Symptoms of Late Onset Diabetes
Symptoms of late onset diabetes can be numerous and inexplicable. Due to the patient’s age and slow onslaught of symptoms, the individual may attribute the ailments to the aging process. Specifically, as people age, they expect to have issues with their vision, incontinence, and fatigue. In addition, an individual could have difficulty with slow healing cuts or recurring urinary tract infections and would never consider that possibility of a larger issue. These, however, can all be warning signs of a prevailing condition. Sometimes, other indications including extreme thirst, hunger, and sudden weight loss or gain must be present in order to alert the person that there is a substantial problem.
While not everyone will suffer from physical symptoms, some individuals may notice cognitive changes. They may undergo personality changes, mood swings, confusion, and inability to concentrate. These signs are serious and require immediate medical attention. All warning signals should be monitored, but when late onset diabetes symptomsbegin to impair a person’s organs and basic ability to function, they need to be alarmed and seek proper treatment before the disturbance becomes a permanent handicap.
Late Onset Diabetes Diet
The advancement of this disease may be averted by following a late onset diabetes diet. The purpose of this diet is to maintain healthy blood sugar levels throughout the day and consumer foods that will not inhibit further cell damage. A diet low in saturated fat, high in fiber, and with restricted sugars will help stabilize glucose ranges and stave off further complications. It is also important to eat small meals throughout the day rather than eating fewer larger meals.
As alcohol quickly breaks down into sugar and can raise triglycerides and cause nerve pain, it is best to eliminate this beverage altogether. This diet, combined with daily cardiovascular exercise can help prevent and to control late onset diabetes in adults.
