Obesity

Diabetes and Menopause – Proactive Steps for Healthy Aging

in Diabetes, Nutrition and Food, Obesity

The presentation and emergence of diabetes in women as they age creates a unique clinical challenge for both women and their healthcare providers. Around the time of menopause, there are important changes in body composition and insulin sensitivity, which impact both the risk for diabetes mellitus as well as glycemic control in those women with established diabetes. For some, menopause is the time for a first diagnosis of diabetes. For others, with existing diabetes, symptoms may be affected by the use of hormone replacement therapy, a common treatment for menopausal vasomotor symptoms, such as hot flashes.

exercise for diabetes health Diabetes is the most common chronic disease in post-menopausal women and is a predisposing factor for cardiovascular disease, a leading cause of death for mature diabetic women. Women with diabetes are more likely to have a heart attack, and at a younger age, than women without diabetes. They are also at greater risk than men for certain microvascular complications such as diabetic retinopathy.

Are You At Risk for Diabetes?

Who is at risk? Those who are overweight, sedentary, age 45 yrs and older, those with a family history of type 2 diabetes, certain ethnic groups (including African Americans and Hispanics) and women who developed gestational diabetes during pregnancy).

The Burden of Diabetes on Women

Since more than half of persons with diabetes are women, the burden of the disease falls disproportionately on women – with a greater representation by those mid-life and beyond. Although the death rates of men with diabetes dropped in recent decades, those of women with diabetes has increased. With the American Diabetes Association estimating that about 9.3 million women have diabetes and the ongoing projected increase in this population, there is an urgency to improving clinical care and outcomes for women as they age.

This is an enormous public health issue, but with some simple lifestyle changes, many women can change the course of this disease. Pre-diabetes, characterized by higher than normal glucose levels, is a warning sign and offers the most opportune time to make dietary changes, increase exercise and strive for weight loss before full diabetes develops. Recent research suggests that long-term damage is already occurring during the pre-diabetic phase. Unfortunately, about 90% of those with pre-diabetes don’t know they have it and thus proceeded to develop diabetes without warning. Although pre-diabetes is a serious medical condition, it can be treated. Preventing or delaying the onset of diabetes is an important step in health aging and ideally requires a partnership with your healthcare provider, scheduling regular health check-ups (including glucose testing) and the adoption of simple lifestyle and dietary changes.

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Can you dissolve your middle-age fat?

in Exercise and Wellness, Obesity, Perimenopause

As women approach perimenopause and menopause, weight gain becomes a challenging issue. On average, middle aged women gain about a pound a year with body composition shifting to more fat and less muscle. The weight gain is particularly frustrating since many women discover that weight loss strategies that may have worked in earlier years are no longer effective. There are serious health implications associated with the extra pounds, including increased risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and certain types of cancers, thus minimizing weight gain is critical for healthy aging. However, adoption of new weight loss strategies should be safe and must include enduring life style adjustments for long term success. Unfortunately many women search for a quick fix and some are turning to risky procedures such as lipodissolve.

Lipodissolve is Unregulated

Lipodissolve, billed as non-surgical fat removal, is an unregulated and potentially dangerous procedure offered by spas across the U.S. Spas offer lipodissolve, as a series of injections described as a “fat-melting” alternative to liposuction. The process is also known as injection lipolysis, lipozap, lipotherapy, and mesotherapy. There is no standardized list of ingredients for these injections since they are typically chemical cocktails with a makeup that varies depending on the pharmacy or spa that prepares the injections. The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) reports a range of adverse effects including infections, defects and tissue death after lipodissolve. The FDA has reports of permanent scarring, skin deformation, deep, and painful knots under the skin in areas where the lipodissolve treatments were injected.

FDA Cracks Down on “Fat-Melting”

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is cracking down with long overdue warnings for the claims spas are making about lipodissolve since the injections have not been proven safe or effective and are not approved by the agency.

FDA warnings have gone out to six U.S companies:

  • Monarch Medspa in King of Prussia, PA
  • Spa 35 in Boise, ID
  • Medical Cosmetic Enhancements in Chevy Chase, MD
  • Innovative Directions in Health in Edina, MN
  • PURE Med Spa in Boca Raton, FL
  • All About You Med Spa in Madison, IN

So although a quick-fix for menopause weight gain may be tempting, lipodissolve is not FDA-approved and the safety and efficacy of the procedure has not been established.

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