Type 2 Diabetes: Meeting Treatment Goals Can Add Years of Life

Life expectancy is the number of years a person is expected to live.

Key points

• At age 50, life expectancy is 6 years shorter for people with type 2 diabetes than for people without diabetes.
• Meeting type 2 diabetes treatment goals can add 3 years of life — and, for some, as much as 10 years.

The study

Researchers measured the average gain in life expectancy for people with type 2 diabetes who met four treatment goals. Participants were divided into six groups by sex and three age ranges, so people with diabetes can estimate their own likely gain.

Terms to know

Results

• Average gain: managing weight, blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol can add about 3 years for the average person with type 2 diabetes.
• Biggest gains: for people with the highest BMI, A1C, LDL and SBP, bringing them down could add more than 10 years.
• By age: the benefit was greatest in adults 51 to 60, compared with those 61 and older.
• By goal: lower BMI was, on average, tied to the largest gain, followed by lower A1C.
• Weight loss may be underestimated here, because it is often linked to the other goals — and it must be kept off long term to help.

Why it matters

Living well with diabetes takes more than managing blood sugar: weight, blood pressure and cholesterol matter too. The findings can help people with diabetes and their doctors choose the treatment goals with the most impact on life expectancy, and help decision makers support diabetes programs in the United States.

Sources

Based on "How People with Type 2 Diabetes Can Live Longer," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; a work of the United States government in the public domain. A stock photograph is left out.