Every year more than 11 million seniors over 55 go through their daily lives with Type 2 diabetes. As you age there’s a greater chance you may become one of those affected with this long-term metabolic disorder characterized by high blood sugar.

Type 2 diabetes, or adult-onset diabetes, is one in a group of three maladies that make up the overall disease. Type 1 diabetes is most often found in children and young adults and gestational diabetes affects only pregnant women and occurs in about 1-in-25 pregnancies worldwide.

If you suffer from the disease as a senior it’s important to understand that the exact cause of diabetes isn’t clear but genetics, environment, and lifestyle can all factor into its development.

It’s important to realize that a strict eating schedule is imperative in helping to control the disease. You must remember that all the food you intake, whether it’s a light snack or full-blown dinner, is broken down into a sugar known as glucose. Every cell in your body uses this glucose as fuel to burn throughout the day regulating your body’s energy level.

Diabetes or Pre-Diabetes is what happens when your body either does not produce enough insulin or becomes resistant to the insulin that it does produce. The result is that the glucose remains in the blood rather than inside the cells and ultimately this causes damage. The damage comes in many forms but primarily it injures the blood vessels.

While there is no known cure for diabetes, the disease can be managed successfully by following a few simple guidelines. While they may feel difficult to manage, especially through the holidays, they can be effectively accomplished with a little planning and effort.

The first and most important step is understanding how important it is to follow a meal schedule. Choosing what to eat, how much to eat and when to eat is imperative for the success of your diabetes management plan. As with most health related plans this includes an exercise routine and if you smoke we highly recommend quitting. Combining the dual toxicity of high blood sugar and tobacco is devastating to blood vessels.

By checking your blood glucose regularly and taking all your prescribed medications you can keep this disease in check. Regular contact with your physician is crucial to controlling this disease, especially if you’ve just learned you have it.