Diabetes among people over 65 years of age is increasing at an alarming rate. Usually about 40 per cent of diabetic patients are old people aged 65 years and above. The prevalence of such a high number of elderly diabetic patients in a family makes it one of the most common medical problems. That is why special diabetes diet for elderly has been created by researchers. Elderly patients generally tend to suffer from type2 diabetes. In this article, I will give you some tips regarding the diet that elderly diabetic patients should follow.
A diet which contains no more than 50-60 percent of carbs and less than 30 percent of fat seems to be the ideal diabetes diet for elderly, according to the American Diabetes Association. In other words, the diet recommended for the elderly diabetic patients is the same as the high-carb, low-fat diet that is consumed by average Americans. While such a diet maybe useful in the short term, it is doubtful whether a diet rich in carbohydrates would help much in the long term since carbohydrates are generally known to increase blood sugar levels rather than decreasing it.
Type2 diabetes has often been linked to obesity. Not that the elderly diabetic patients are usually obese, but a significant number of them have been found to be grossly overweight. This is the reason why elderly patients should try to lose weight through light exercises that don't put much strain on their bodies and yet, burn the calories. Studies have shown that elderly patients who have lost weight have shown a significant improvement in their blood sugar level. However, elderly patients have difficulty in maintaining long-term weight los strategies. They may lose weight in a short term period, but special stress should be given to long-term weight loss control strategies in order to curb the harmful effects of diabetes.
Since elderly patient's bodies are sensitive by nature, any unsuitable diet patterns can cause more harm than good. If you need more information regarding diabetes diet for elderly, then simply click on the link in my resource box below!