The Impact of Diabetes on Cardiovascular Health

Often, heart and vascular disease go hand-in-hand with diabetes. Individuals with diabetes are at a much higher risk for heart attacks, strokes, and high blood pressure. Unfortunately, a many of these cardiovascular problems can can start early in life and may go undetected for years. Over time, high blood glucose levels damage nerves and blood vessels, leading to complications such as heart disease and stroke – the leading cause of death among people with diabetes.

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a disorder of metabolism and affects the way the body bodies uses digested food for energy. Diabetes develops when the pancreas does not make enough insulin, or the cells in the muscles, liver, and fat do not use insulin properly, or both. As a result, the amount of glucose in the blood increases while the cells are starved of energy.

What causes heart disease in individuals with diabetes?

Often, individuals with diabetes experience changes in the blood vessels that could possibly lead to cardiovascular disease. If you have diabetes, the linings of the blood vessels can become thicker, which makes it even more difficult for blood to flow through the vessels. If your blood flow is impaired, heart problems or stroke can occur. Your blood vessels can also suffer damage elsewhere in the body due to diabetes, which can lead to eye problems, kidney problems, and poor circulation to the legs and feet.

What does diabetes have to do with heart disease?

When someone has diabetes, their blood sugar is often much higher than it should be, leading to stress for the cardiovascular system. There may also be some lifestyle habits that may also raise the risk of heart disease.

Here are some tips that will allow you to lower your risk:

• Keep your blood sugar level under control. If you control your blood sugar level it will allow you to lower your risk of heart disease.
• Lose weight and keep it off. By losing weight it will help a lot of your health issues. If you have a lot of extra weight it is important to lose the weight. It will help decrease your risk for heart disease. You don’t have to lose an extreme amount of weight. Even losing ten pounds can help.
• Increase your physical activity. Exercise is extremely important for people who have diabetes. You can work with your doctor to create exercises that will work best for you and be safe.

At Heart and Health we offer metabolic testing and a nutrition program that can help keep your diabetes under control, and can help you develop an appropriate exercise program. You don’t need a gym to exercise – Brisk walking is a great exercise. Climbing stairs instead of taking an elevator is another source of exercise. By exercising you can help keep your blood sugar level normal and even lower your risk of heart disease.