Women who live alone face higher diabetes risk
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The lifestyle of older women who live alone seems to put them at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, new research suggests.
In a study that followed 461 Swedish women for more than two years, researchers found that those who lived alone were roughly three times more likely than women who lived with family to develop type 2 diabetes.
The reasons, the study authors found, seemed largely lifestyle-related. Smoking stood out as the strongest factor, as women who lived alone were more likely to smoke, and less likely to give up smoking during the study period.
Smoking may contribute to diabetes by increasing the body’s resistance to the blood-sugar-regulating hormone insulin, said Dr. Jonas Lidfeldt, the study’s lead author.
He and his colleagues at Lund University in Sweden report their findings in the journal Diabetes Care.
At the start of the study, all of the women, who were between the ages of 50 and 64, had impaired glucose tolerance, often referred to as “pre-diabetes.” All were given advice on diet, exercise and smoking to lower their risk of progressing to diabetes.
By the end of the study, 12 percent had developed type 2 diabetes, with women who lived alone being at greater risk-regardless of biological factors like family history of Diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
However, when smoking habits were factored in, they appeared to explain a large part of the link between living arrangements and diabetes. Also, diet and drinking habits also seemed to play a role, according to the researchers.
Women who live alone may tend to be more socially isolated, which could in turn affect their lifestyle habits, according to Lidfeldt. However, he added that he has found in past research that single women who are well-educated and have higher incomes often have a “very optimal lifestyle.”
SOURCE: Diabetes Care, October 2005.
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