Diabetes: the older we get, the less stressful we are

In France, according to the figures provided by Public Health France, 3.3 million people are currently being treated for diabetes. If this figure may seem high, it is in fact even more so because 20 to 30% of adults would be affected by type 2 diabetes without knowing it according to Inserm, in particular because of the silent nature of the disease. According to the French Federation of Diabetics, a patient association, the main causes of diabetes (apart from family predispositions) come from our lifestyles (overweight and sedentary lifestyle) but also from age. The older we get, the more likely diabetes is to appear. A team of researchers from Carnegie Mellon University (United States) goes in this direction by asserting that age is the only factor that plays a crucial role in the well-being of people who have just been diagnosed with diabetes. type 2. Young patients being more vulnerable to psychological distress, leading to poorer health outcomes. The results were published on November 22 in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine.

Anxiety damages the health of diabetics

“We have found that we can assess a patient’s initial stress and predict how they will be doing six months later,” says Vicki Helgeson, professor of psychology at Carnegie Mellon University and lead author of the study. If you can identify people with diabetes earlier, you can intervene and prevent their health from declining.”

The researchers evaluated 207 patients, ages 25 to 82, who had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes within the past two years. They used multiple surveys to assess their health, psychological distress and healthcare, in addition to studying their daily dairy intakes to identify stressors. Results were examined by gender, ethnicity, age, education level, occupation, income, marital status and medication use.

When assessed, the researchers found that younger patients (42 and under) experience greater psychological distress related to diabetes. Additionally, patients with higher education and income expressed more stress. Conversely, patients over the age of 64 were less psychologically stressed and showed greater consistency in self-medication, glycemic control and treatment compliance. Patients in long-term couple relationships are also less prone to stress in relation to their diabetes.

Diabetes requires a lifestyle change

“This is a diverse sample in terms of age, education and ethnicity, which makes the result even more revealing,” emphasizes Vicki Helgeson. We don’t know objectively if patients with higher income have more stressors, however, they perceive they have more stress.” Vicki Helgeson thinks older people know how to live in the present, compared to young adults, whose focus on the future can amplify their stressors.

Many patients experience stress as they make lifestyle changes to accommodate their new diet, weight control, medications, and exercise routine, which can be time-consuming, complicated and expensive.

“The management of diabetes is difficult, because it involves a lasting lifestyle change, explains Vicki Helgeson. Our current lifestyle may prevent us from dieting for diabetes.”