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Seniors with diabetes are at least 50 percent more likely to have a physical disability than those without diabetes, according to a new study.

Past research looking at the risk of disability associated with diabetes have produced mixed results, ranging from no association, to a doubling of risk, according to researchers.

However, the latest study is the first meta-analysis to pool estimates taken from earlier studies. Researchers explain that this provides a more reliable estimate of the likely risk of disability associated with diabetes.

The latest analysis included 26 studies that looked at the association between diabetes and disability. In the study, disability was defined in terms of both impaired mobility, and functional disability (impaired ability to perform activities of daily living, such as bathing or eating, and instrumental activities of daily living such as using the phone, shopping, and using transport).

Lead researchers Dr. Anna Peeters and Dr Evelyn Wong, of the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, Australia, found that people with diabetes are 50 percent to 80 percent more likely to suffer physical disability compared to people without the disease.

While the analysis did not differentiate between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, researchers note that the majority of studies included in the research were based on studies of people over the age of 65, among whom Type 2 diabetes if more prevalent.

"The reasons why diabetes is associated with physical disability is still unclear, although several mechanisms have been suggested," Peeters said in a news release.

"It's possible that the high blood glucose concentrations experienced by people with diabetes might lead to chronic muscle inflammation, eventually resulting in physical disability, and some studies have shown that diabetes is associated with rapid and worsening muscle wasting," she said.

"The complications associated with diabetes, such as heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease, can all result in disability. As the world's population ages, and diabetes becomes more common, it seems clear that we will see an increased need for disability-related health resources, which health systems around the world need to be prepared for," Peeters added.

The findings are published in the journal The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.