Diabetes And Heart Disease

Having Diabetes or Pre Diabetes put you at increased risk for heart
disease. You can lower your risk by keeping your blood glucoses,
blood pressure, and cholesterol close to the recommended target
numbers. Reaching your targets also can help prevent narrowing or
blockage of the blood vessels in your legs, conditions called
peripheral arterial disease (PAD). You can reach your targets by,
choosing foods wisely, being physically active, and taking
medications if needed. If you have already had a heart attack, taking
care of your self can help prevent future health problems.

If you have diabetes, you are at least twice as likely as someone who
does not have diabetes to have heart disease. People with diabetes
also tend to develop heart disease at an earlier age than other people.
If you are middle aged and have type 2 diabetes, some studies
suggest that your chances of having a heart attack is as high as
someone without diabetes who has already had one heart attack.

Women who have not gone through the change usually have less risk
of heart disease than men of the same age. Women of all ages with
diabetes have an increased risk of heart disease because diabetes
cancels out the protective effects of being a woman in her child
bearing years.

People with diabetes who have diabetes who have already had one
heart attack run an even greater risk of having a second one. In
addition, heart attacks in people with diabetes are more serious and
more likely to result in death. High blood glucose levels over time can
lead to increased deposits of fatty materials on the insides of the
blood vessels walls. These deposits may affect blood flow, increasing
the chance of clogging and hardening of blood vessels.

Diabetes itself is a risk factor for heart disease. Many people with
diabetes have other conditions that increase their chance of
developing heart disease. These conditions are called risk factors.
One risk factor for heart disease and is having a family history of heart
disease. If one or more members of your family had a heart attack at
an early age (before 55 for men or 65 for women) you may be at
increased risk.

You cannot change if heart disease runs in your family, but you can
take steps to control the other risk factors for heart disease listed
here:

Central Obesity, means carrying extra weight around the waist, as
opposed to the hips. A waist measurement of more that 40 inches for
men and more than 35 inches for women means you have central
obesity. Your risk of heart disease is higher because abdominal fat
can increase the production of LDL (bad) cholesterol, the type of
blood fat that can be deposited on the inside of the blood vessel walls.

Having abnormal blood fat (cholesterol) levels.

LDL cholesterol can build up inside your blood vessels, leading to
narrowing and hardening of your arteries. The arteries can then
become blocked. Therefore, high levels of LDL cholesterol raise your
risk of getting heart disease.

Triglycerides are another type of blood fat that can raise your risk of
blood fat that can raise your risk of heart disease when the levels are
high.

HDL (good) cholesterol removes deposits from inside your blood
vessels and takes them to the liver for removal. Low levels of HDL
cholesterol increase your risk for heart disease

High Blood Pressure, if you have high blood pressure, also called
hypertension your heart must work harder to pump blood. High blood
pressure can strain the heart, damage blood vessels, and increase
your risk of heart attack, stroke, eye problems, and kidney problems.

Smoking. Smoking doubles your risk of getting heart disease.
Stopping smoking is especially important for people with diabetes
because both smoking and diabetes narrow blood vessels. If you
smoke, quit!

Some thing you can do to delay heart disease and stoke, even if you
are at high risk for heart disease and stroke. You can help keep your
heart and blood vessels healthy. You can do so by taking the
following steps:

Make sure that your diet is heart healthy, include at least 14 grams of
fiber daily for every 1,000 calories consumed. Foods high in fiber may
help to lower cholesterol. Oat bran, whole grains, dried beans such as
kidney beans, pinto, and black-eyed peas, fruits and veggies are all
good sources of fiber. Increase the amount of fiber in your diet
gradually to avoid digestive problems.

Cut down on saturated fats. It raises you cholesterol levels. Saturated
fat is found in meats, poultry with skin, dairy products with fat, lard,
and tropical oils such as palm oil.

Keep the cholesterol in your diet to less than 300 milligrams a day.
Cholesterol is found in meat, dairy and eggs.

Make physical activity part of your routine. Aim for at least 30 minutes
of exercise most day of the week. Think of ways to increase physical
activity, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator. If you have
not been active lately, see your Doctor for a checkup before you start
an exercise program.

Reach and maintain a healthy body weight. If you are over weight, try
to be physically active for at least 30 minutes a day, most days of the
week. Consult a registered dietitian for help. Aim for a loss of no more
than 1 or 2 pounds a week.

Ask you Doctor if you should take an aspirin.