New findings about race, diabetes and older women

Death rates for older women with diabetes tend to be the same, regardless of race and ethnicity, a new study reports.

Based on the findings, researchers from the University of Massachusetts Medical School said that diabetes prevention is crucial in reducing diabetes-related deaths among older women.

The Study

Data on more than 158,000 women was collected for the study between 1993 and 2008. The average age among participants was 63, and diabetes rates varied among races: 27 percent for blacks, 12 percent for whites, 21 percent for Hispanics and 16 percent for Asians.

But regardless of race or ethnicity, all of the women with diabetes were more likely to die from heart disease, cancer or other heath-related causes than women without the condition. Not surprisingly, women with diabetes were also more likely to have higher body mass indexes, lower rates of exercise and poorer eating habits.

Focusing on Prevention

The study is the first to point out that death risk for women with diabetes is similar among different racial or ethnic groups.

"Because of the 'amplifying' effect of diabetes prevalence, efforts to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in diabetes mortality should focus on prevention of type 2 diabetes," lead study author Dr. Yunsheng Ma, an associate professor of medicine, said in a press release.

Since 80 to 90 percent of diabetes cases might be preventable through diet and lifestyle changes, education and awareness about the condition should be a priority, the researchers noted.

"Rather than emphasizing aggressive use of anti-diabetic medications in postmenopausal minority women, we should focus on educating them about preventing diabetes," Ma said.

Results of the study are published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Source: Health Day