Whether you’ve been managing diabetes for years or are newly diagnosed, it can be surprising when your blood sugar patterns shift as you age. Even with the same eating habits, activity level, and medication routine, you might notice readings creeping higher or becoming less predictable.
The truth is, aging changes how your body processes glucose. After 40, those shifts often become more noticeable. Understanding why it happens can help you adapt your approach and stay in control.
As we age, we naturally lose muscle mass (also known as “sarcopenia”) unless we actively work to maintain it. Because muscle is a major site for glucose uptake, less muscle means your body becomes less efficient at clearing sugar from the bloodstream.
Even outside of menopause (what we commonly think of when someone says “hormonal shifts with age”), hormones like estrogen, testosterone, growth hormone, and cortisol shift with age as well. Some of these changes can make your body more insulin resistant.
Digestive processes tend to slow down with age, especially after the age of 60, and your metabolism becomes less flexible. Your body may take longer to process carbohydrates, or it may store more energy as fat rather than using it for fuel.
Getting older is inevitable, but blood sugar instability doesn’t have to be. By focusing on muscle health, staying active, eating strategically, and adjusting your plan as your body changes, you can maintain strong glucose control for decades to come.
Your 40s, 50s, and beyond can be vibrant, healthy years…especially when you understand and adapt to the ways your body evolves!
