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Food insecurity can be economic (i.e., lack of financial resources to buy food) or physical (i.e., difficulty shopping for food or preparing meals). Economic food insecurity is a risk factor for hypoglycemia in patients with diabetes, but physical food insecurity has not been studied widely. Researchers analyzed survey data from 1200 older adults (age, ≥ 65) with type 2 diabetes in the Northern California Kaiser Permanente system who were using insulin or sulfonylureas.
Twelve percent of respondents reported having food insecurity. Among those patients, 38% had economic insecurity, 21% had physical insecurity, and 41% had both. Overall, 5% reported severe hypoglycemic events (defined as passing out or needing help from another person), most …