(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- People over age 50 with diabetes appear to have a greater risk for cardiovascular disease and not live as long as people without diabetes.

According to a new study, women with diabetes had more than double the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Those women who already had cardiovascular disease along with their diabetes had twice the mortality rate as well. Diabetic men had the same risk of developing cardiovascular disease as diabetic women and had a 1.7-times higher risk of dying once cardiovascular disease was present compared with non-diabetic men.

Diabetic women ages 50 and older had a life expectancy 8.2 years less than women without diabetes, and men with diabetes lived 7.5 years less than those without the disease. “Having diabetes at age 50 years and older represents not only a significant increase in the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and mortality but also an important decrease in life expectancy and life expectancy free of cardiovascular disease,” the study authors write.

Researchers recruited a group of 5,209 men and women ages 28 to 62 between 1948 and 1951. They followed the participants for the next 46 years until they developed cardiovascular disease or died, and their diabetes status was measured repeatedly.

Background information from the study suggests the worldwide progressive health problem type 2 diabetes poses is due to the globalization of the Western lifestyle. More than 171 million people had diabetes worldwide by 2000, and that number is expected to double in the next 25 years. The authors want to use these findings to highlight the importance of diabetes prevention for the promotion of healthy aging and to also encourage physical activity and healthy diets. “Prevention of diabetes is a fundamental task facing today’s society, with the aim to achieve populations living longer and healthier lives,” they conclude.