Diet & Exercise Help Elderly Diabetics

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters Health) - Jewett Pattee was a self-described ``physical mess'' before the age of 50. He smoked a pack of cigarettes a day, drank excessively, suffered from spinal arthritis and ate whatever he pleased.

But a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes at the age of 50 served as a wake up call and convinced Pattee that he would soon die if he did not take steps to improve his health. Almost immediately, he quit smoking and gave up the bottle. A regular exercise program and small changes set him on track to lose more than 30 pounds over the next several years and to stabilize his blood glucose (sugar), a key indicator of diabetes control.

These days, the 77-year-old Pattee can be found riding his bike--about 600 miles a month--on the trails of his native Long Beach, California. His weight hovers around a healthy 132 pounds on his 5-foot 3-inch frame and his blood glucose remains stable at about 94 milligrams (mg) per deciliter (dL).

``I feel so much better,'' Pattee said. ``I'm doing things now that I never dreamed I could have done.''

Like Pattee, a growing number of elderly people with type 2 diabetes are taking control of their disease by making healthy lifestyle changes and seeing the results, Dr. Jeffrey B. Halter, a professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, said at the American Diabetes Association's (ADA) annual meeting on Sunday.

However, doctors' prejudices about older patients' willingness to make these changes and fears that aggressively treating diabetes might backfire, can prevent their elderly patients from succeeding, he said. Reducing blood glucose too much can put patients at risk for fatigue, weakness, headaches and confusion.

``Older patients today know that their life expectancy has improved and many are willing to undertake change to further enhance their expectancy, such as improved diet, increased exercise, frequent self-monitoring of blood glucose levels and use of insulin injections, if necessary,'' Halter said.

He said that blood glucose targets for most elderly diabetes should be the same as targets for younger patients. Physicians should also treat heart disease risk factors such as blood pressure and cholesterol.

``The average 70-year-old will live another 15 years or so and deserves comprehensive care to reduce the risk of diabetes complications, especially cardiovascular disease,'' Halter said.

Pattee is doing what he can to live a long and healthy life. Since his diabetes diagnosis more than 25 years ago he has logged more than 20,000 miles on foot, biked more than 100,000 miles and has competed in the Race Across America, a 3,000-mile team race, five times. He has also competed in the Senior Olympics.

In recent years, a diagnosis of Meniere's disease, an inner ear disorder that affects balance, vision and hearing, and two hip replacements have slowed Pattee down. He no longer runs but continues to ride his bike regularly.

``The rewards are so great. I would never go back to where I was at age 50,'' Pattee said.

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