Did you know that 68% of the people 65 and older with diabetes die from heart disease and 16% die of stroke? Did you know that adults with diabetes are more likely to die from heart disease than adults without? These statistics were released by the American Heart Association, which is why the organization considers diabetes to be one of the major controllable risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD).
People with type 2 diabetes may have conditions to contribute the development of CVD. So, even if diabetes is treatable there still exists a risk of developing CVD. Such conditions include the following.
1. Obesity
This is probably the most important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Obesity is strongly related to insulin resistance and other risk factors like high blood pressure. Losing weight can have an important impact in controlling the risk of CVD and increase insulin sensitivity.
2. Hypertension
Hypertension, or more commonly known as high blood pressure, has been known to be a major risk factor for CVD. Like with obesity, there is a relation between high blood pressure and insulin resistance. Diabetes and hypertension is a common combination, and it doubles a patient’s risk of CVD.
3. Abnormal levels of cholesterol and triglycerides
Cholesterol is divided into two: LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and HDL (“Good”) cholesterol. A patient with diabetes will usually have high LDL, low HDL and high triglycerides. This triad of unhealthy lipid counts is also associated with insulin resistance.
4. Lack of physical activity
This is another risk factor for diabetes and CVD that can be kept under control. Losing weight and exercising in a great way to stave off type 2 diabetes, reduce hypertension, and help reduce the risk of CDV. Any type of moderate to intensive exercise is beneficial. In fact, there’s evidence of how taking a walk after eating may also be beneficial, read about it in another post of mine. So, grab you iPod and go for a walk!
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American Heart Association. Cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Accessed Mar14, 2017.
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