Doctors should consider reducing the threshold for diagnosing type 2 diabetes in adult women under the age of 50, a major European conference is to be told.
The conference of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes begins today in Hamburg, Germany.
Doctors from Salford, UK, investigated why young women with type 2 diabetes have a greater mortality rate than men. They say this appears to be linked to women being diagnosed at a later stage than men.
Their study investigated HbA1c testing and the findings of seven laboratories, representing 5% of the UK.
The study found that at the age of 50 women had average HbA1c levels equivalent to men five years old. The analysis found twice as many men as women would be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes based on the laboratory findings – but over the age of 50, the tests suggested 20% fewer women than men should be diagnosed.
According to the hypothesis, the discrepancy may be related not to younger women being healthier than men – but to the impact of menstrual bleeding on the levels of glycated haemoglobin. The researchers say this could mean that the HbA1C threshold for women under the age of 50 should be reduced.
The researchers, led by Dr Adrian Heald, of Salford Royal Hospital, state that “timely diagnosis of type 2 diabetes and initiation of preventative treatment has the potential to improve cardiovascular risk profile over lifetime and facilitate longer life quality and expectancy in women. Our findings provide evidence that the HbA1c threshold for this group should be re-evaluated.”
A second study, reported to the conference, says that exposure to natural light may improve blood sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes.
Dutch researchers conducted a small scale study on patients to assess the different impact on metabolisms of exposure to natural light and artificial light. The study found that over a period of up to five days, those exposed to natural light had normal levels of blood glucose for 59% of the time – compared with 51% for those confined to articial light.
Researcher Ivo Habets, of Maastricht University, the Netherlands, said: “The misalignment of our internal circadian clock with the demands of a 24/7 society is associated with an increased incidence of metabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes.
“Our research shows that the type of light you are exposed to matters for your metabolism. If you work in an office in almost no exposure to natural light, it will have an impact on your metabolism and your risk or control of type 2 diabetes, so try to get as much daylight as possible, and ideally, get outdoors when you can.”
Diabetes Therapy 29 September 2023
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