People seem to think diabetes is inevitable as you age. But that’s not true. Dr Yasmeen Ajaz, Specialist Endocrinologist at Medcare Hospital Al Safa, explains that it is a multifactorial disease with several risk factors that include age, obesity, sedentary lifestyle and poor diet. “While most people over the age of 60 years do have diabetes, it is not purely because of age. A combination of risk factors needs to be present for you to have diabetes as you age.”
Experts suggest that everyone above the age of 35 check their blood sugar levels even if they don’t have any risk factors. If your results are normal, then get regular screenings every three years, says Dr Archana Purshothaman, Consultant Endocrinologist at Fakeeh University Hospital, Dubai Silicon Oasis.
For people with risk factors, she has this advice: “Anyone with a body mass index higher than 25, irrespective of their age, and presenting additional risk factors such as high blood pressure, non-typical cholesterol
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