Member-only story
Aging Gracefully
Not just for older people
I always thought I would age gracefully. I am still slim with little body fat. Contrary to many of my friends, I have no issues with my joints. People often say I look younger than I am. I have slightly elevated blood pressure, but that is not unusual at my age.
I thought I could get away with poor eating habits. In Germany, bread and pastries are natural foods to eat. And complex carbohydrates were actually supposed to be good for you. But metabolism does change with age.
My last blood test came back with an elevated level of fasting glucose and an A1C at the higher end of normal. My doctor waved me off. I was not even prediabetic, she said. The numbers still looked uncomfortably close.
One of my friends is prediabetic; her husband has diabetes, and I can’t believe how much medication they have to take.
I want to avoid that fate and watched some videos on YouTube to learn.
I had already guessed that the two tea spoons of sugar I put into my morning coffee was too much. I didn’t know that sugar is technically sucrose, half glucose and half fructose, which can only be metabolized in the liver.
My ALT and AST levels were normal, but I don’t want to get fatty liver.
