Clinical studies have shown that exercising is effective for managing many chronic diseases that affect older adults including diabetes as well as osteoarthritis and osteoporosis.

The good news, however, is that healthy lifestyle habits can help manage and even prevent some types of the disease.

The word "diabetes" derives from a colourful description of one of the more unpleasant symptoms of these diseases – the excessive production of urine. And although diabetes is broader in its range, this feature focuses on the most commonly encountered forms: type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Diabetes is a disease where the body fails to properly convert sugar, starch and other foods into energy that the body needs. One of the keys to this process is a hormone called insulin, which is produced by the beta cells of the pancreas.

Understanding the difference between forms of diabetes is quite confusing. One is known as  "juvenile" and the other is sometimes known as "adult onset". However, some experts feel this isn’t a satisfactory definition, since both can be contracted at any age. Type 1 and type 2 have also been defined as insulin dependent and non-insulin dependent respectively. Once again, this isn't completely accurate since some type 2 diabetics do indeed depend on insulin. Some lay people also use the terms "bad diabetes" and "good diabetes." This is wrong, because they’re both "bad."

The distinction between the two is actually quite subtle and has to do with the way in which insulin is produced and used. Type 1 is characterized by beta cell destruction caused by an autoimmune process, usually leading to absolute insulin deficiency. Type 2 is characterized by insulin resistance in peripheral tissue and an insulin secretory defect of the beta cell. (Source: Diagnosis and Classification of Diabetes Mellitus)

Frankly, one doesn’t need to know this to appreciate that diabetes (regardless of character) is an awful disease that dramatically affects life expectancy. In North America, about 65 per cent of diabetics die from heart and stroke disease and it is a leading cause of end-stage kidney failure. Additionally, there are serious complications that are associated with diabetes, most notably, blindness (diabetic retinopathy) and nerve damage, which in severe cases can require amputation.

Although many of the mechanisms and causes of this disease remain a mystery, much is known about risk factors. The Canadian Diabetes Association (diabetes.ca) cites:

o being overweight (especially if you carry most of your weight around your middle)

o being a member of a high-risk group (Aboriginal peoples, Hispanic, Asian or African descent)

o having a parent, brother or sister with diabetes

o having given birth to a baby that weighed over four kilograms (nine pounds) at birth, or have had gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy)

o having high cholesterol or other fats in the blood

o having higher-than-normal blood glucose levels

o having high blood pressure or heart disease

o being age 45 or over

Diabetes is undoubtedly an age-related disease. Data assembled by the American Diabetes Association (diabetes.org), shows that the incidence in people of all ages is between five and 10 per cent. However, approximately half of all cases occur in people over age 55, and about 20 per cent of the population over 65 have diabetes. That’s why, it’s a recommendation of the American Academy of Family Physicians (aafp.org) that everyone over age 45 be screened every three years, more frequently if they are at risk

So what’s the good news? Although diabetes is not yet curable, it’s highly treatable. In both types, insulin can be used to control blood sugar levels. And in the case of type 2 diabetes, there are drugs that can help the body use the insulin it already produces more effectively. Moreover, both types respond well to healthy lifestyle choices. This is good news for everyone, because research indicates that 90 per cent of diabetes has a clear lifestyle risk component. What does this mean? In plainer English, it means that quitting smoking, managing stress, exercising and eating right can actually help manage and perhaps even prevent diabetes.