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Senior Citizen Health & Medicine
Diabetes Leads to Heart Disease, Shorter Lives for
Older Men and Women, Study Finds
Dramatically shorter lives for those with diabetes at
50 or older
June 11, 2007 - Men and women with diabetes at age
50 and older appear not to live as long overall, or have as many years
without cardiovascular disease, than individuals without diabetes, and
the differences are dramatic, according to a report in the June 11 issue
of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
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“Globalization of the Western lifestyle led to
diabetes mellitus being a major and progressive health care problem
worldwide,” the authors write as background information in the article.
By 2000, more than 171 million individuals had
diabetes - a number that is expected to double in 25 years. Research has
shown that individuals with diabetes have an increased risk of illness
and death, including double the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Oscar H. Franco, M.D., D.Sc., Ph.D., of University
Medical Center Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and Unilever Corporate
Research, Sharnbrook, England, and colleagues used data from the
Framingham Heart Study, a group of 5,209 men and women age 28 to 62
years recruited between 1948 and 1951 and followed for more than 46
years.
The researchers selected three follow-up periods of
12 years each that began in 1956 to 1958, 1969 to 1973, and 1985 to
1989. Participants were followed during each of the three periods until
they developed cardiovascular disease or died, and their diabetes status
was measured again at the beginning of each interval.
“Women with diabetes had more than double the risk
of developing cardiovascular disease and, among those already with
cardiovascular disease, mortality compared with non-diabetic women,” the
authors write.
“Diabetic men, compared with non-diabetic men, had
more than double the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and a 1.7
times higher risk of dying once cardiovascular disease was present.”
Among those age 50 and older, diabetic men lived an
average of 7.5 years less than men without diabetes, and diabetes
reduced women’s life expectancy by an average of 8.2 years. Life
expectancy free of cardiovascular disease was reduced by 7.8 years in
men and 8.4 years in women with diabetes.
“Having diabetes at age 50 years and older
represents not only a significant increase in the risk of developing
cardiovascular disease and mortality but also an important decrease in
life expectancy and life expectancy free of cardiovascular disease,” the
authors write.
“These findings underscore the importance of
diabetes prevention for the promotion of healthy aging. Toward this end,
it is essential to implement global strategies to change the current
‘Western’ lifestyle and to promote the adoption of physical activity and
healthy diets.”
“Prevention of diabetes is a fundamental task
facing today’s society, with the aim to achieve populations living
longer and healthier lives,” they conclude.
Editor's Note: Co-authors Dr. Franco, Dr.
Mackenbach and Dr. Nusselder were partly funded by the Netherlands
Organization for Scientific Research. Dr. Hu is a recipient of an
American Heart Association Established Investigator Award.
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