High blood glucose and insulin resistance characterize diabetes. The hormone insulin transports glucose -- a sugar your body metabolizes for energy -- from your blood into your cells. With insulin resistance, glucose cannot enter your cells properly, resulting in health complications that affect your heart, blood pressure, eyesight and sexual performance. Consult your doctor about diet and diabetes.
Healthy Fats
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for older men with diabetes, accounting for over two-thirds of fatalities in adults over the age of 65. High blood levels of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, the bad cholesterol, increase your risk of heart disease. Improving your control of LDL cholesterol levels reduces cardiovascular complications by 20 to 50 percent. Eating healthy fats, such as monounsaturated fat from olive oil and nuts and omega-3 fatty acids from walnuts and fish, may lower your LDL cholesterol levels and reduce your risk of heart disease. Avoid eating unhealthy fats such as saturated fat in red meat, poultry, pork and dairy.
Low Sodium Foods
About 1 in 6 diabetic adults over 65 die from stroke, a cerebrovascular complication associated with high blood pressure. Consuming dietary sodium increases blood pressure, whereas reducing dietary sodium results in lower blood pressure and risk of stroke and other diabetes complications. Whole foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes and whole grains are naturally low in sodium. Avoid eating processed foods that are usually high in sodium content.
Fruits, Vegetables and Eyesight
Fruits and vegetables are nutrient-dense foods that contain high concentrations of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that may reduce your risk of diabetes-related blindness. Harvard School of Public Health encourages older diabetics to eat plentiful amounts of fruits and vegetables to sustain healthy vision. Fruits and vegetables contain vitamin A, a nutrient that promotes healthy vision and prevents blindness.
Mediterranean Diet
Erectile dysfunction is common among older men with Type 2 diabetes, in part because excess blood glucose damages smooth muscle in blood vessels, including the penis. Improve your sexual performance by consuming a Mediterranean diet that is comprised of whole foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, seeds, nuts and olive oil, small amounts of low-fat cheese, yogurt and red wine. Minimize animal products and avoid processed foods. Research by scientists at the Second University of Naples in Italy and published in the "Journal of Sexual Medicine" in 2010 found that greater adherence to the Mediterranean-type diet is associated with a lower prevalence of erectile dysfunction in men with Type 2 diabetes.
References
- National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse; Diabetes; 2010
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; National Diabetes Statistics, 2011; February 2011
- American Diabetes Association; Fat and Diabetes; 2010
- Harvard School of Public Health; Vegetables and Fruits: Get Plenty Every Day; 2010
- "Journal of Sexual Medicine"; Adherence to Mediterranean Diet and Erectile Dysfunction in Men with Type 2 Diabetes; Francesco Giugliano, et al.; May 2010
