Alteration of insulin secretion in the elderly

: Aging per se is associated with reduced insulin secretion, which is an important contributing factor for pandemic of diabetes worldwide. Although underlying mechanism for it is not fully elucidated, a combination of reduced beta cell mass and impairment of insulin granule handing in the cell is most likely which may be due to age-related mitochondrial dysfunction and/or dysregulation of transcriptional factors. For effective prevention of diabetes in the elderly population, restoration of beta cell function is desired. Meanwhile, identification of insulin-deficient elderly patients with diabetes and an earlier institution of insulin therapy for them are recommended for improvement of treatment outcome.