This article is from the book, Age Erasers for Women , by The Editors of Prevention Magazine Health Books and the Rodale Center for Women's Health. To send a link and summary of this article to a friend, click here . But when the amount of sugar in your blood is too high, you probably have diabetes, a disease that afflicts nearly eight million American women. Over time, unmanaged diabetes can cause stroke, heart attack and kidney failure even in young people, who normally don't face these problems.
Diabetes can also lead to blindness, nerve damage and sexual disinterest.
But even trying to manage this disease can age you before your time. Women with diabetes must adhere to strict diets in both what and when they eat. But for the most part, I discourage my patients with diabetes from ever using anything that contains large amounts of pure sugar. This regimen goes beyond the kitchen. No longer can women with diabetes casually stroll barefoot on a summer's day.