How Does Diabetes Affect Your Heart?
Diabetes Mellitus is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Over 34 million adults are suffering from this dangerous illness. Although it can be appropriately managed, it does not have a cure. Unfortunately, this killer disease also affects the heart. It may increase the chance of heart failure, which is another leading cause of death. So, how exactly does diabetes affect the heart?
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a condition in which the body fails to regulate the amount of sugar in the blood properly. The pancreatic hormone called insulin is responsible for the conversion of excess sugar to glycogen. However, in people who have type 1 diabetes, insulin production is abnormally low. Some people cannot produce insulin at all. Type 2 diabetes is a condition in which the body cells do not respond to insulin. This is the most common type of diabetes. The third type is gestational diabetes which affects pregnant women. But the condition usually returns to normal after childbirth. However, gestational diabetes can increase the chances of developing type 2 diabetes.
Whatever the type, diabetes increases the amount of sugar in the body resulting in excess blood sugar and causes complications like heart disease, stroke, vision loss, depression, and dementia. But how does diabetes affect the heart?
How Diabetes Affects the Heart?
The heart works together with blood vessels that transport blood to and away from the heart. If there is too much sugar in the blood, it may damage the vessels. The longer the sugar stays in the blood, the more damage it can cause the blood vessels. It has been discovered that most people with diabetes also suffer from high blood pressure.
High blood pressure is a condition in which the force the blood exerts on the artery walls is higher than normal. Very high blood pressure is known as hypertension, and severe hypertension may cause several chronic diseases. High blood pressure may lead to heart disease and stroke.
A high level of LDL cholesterol is another condition that has been related to diabetes. Cholesterol is present in everybody’s blood and is needed for cell building. However, too much bad cholesterol may cause a build-up of plaque in the arteries – the blood vessels that take blood away from the heart. When there is too much deposit of the fatty substance formed by the excess cholesterol, it may cause clots in the arteries. Excess cholesterol may affect blood flow to the heart, and this condition may lead to a heart attack. If the good cholesterol (HDL) is too low or the bad cholesterol (LDL) is too high, it may also cause the artery to harden. This is another condition that may affect the heart.
Other Effects of Diabetes on the Heart
People who have diabetes are also at a higher risk of developing heart failure. A condition in which the heart cannot adequately pump blood. Heart failure may lead to death if not properly treated or not treated on time. In most cases, heart failure may require a heart transplant. This will require a donor heart and open-heart surgery.
How Do I Know If I Am At a Risk of Diabetes
While diabetes and heart disease are two different conditions, people who have diabetes are twice at risk of developing heart disease compared to those without diabetes. Hence, being at risk of diabetes automatically means being at a higher risk of developing heart diseases.
The following factors can put you at risk of diabetes:
- Obesity: Diabetes have been found to be common among people that are overweight and those suffering from obesity
- Smoking and alcoholism: Tobacco smokers are at higher risk of developing diabetes than non-smokers. The same goes for people who take alcoholic drinks in excess.
- Bad Diet: Since a high level of cholesterol can increase the risk of diabetes, eating food that is high in cholesterol is linked with the disease. Excess sodium and food high in saturated fat and trans fat can also increase the risk of diabetes.
- Sedentary Lifestyle: Regular exercise and physical activities can help to reduce body weight and lower the risk of diabetes. In contrast, living a sedentary lifestyle can increase the risk of the disease.
How to Lower the Risk
To lower your risk of diabetes, you have to check your diet, weight, and lifestyle. Reducing your weight can prevent obesity and hence reduce your chances of developing diabetes. Also, quitting smoking, cutting down your alcohol consumption, doing regular exercises and involving in many physical activities can all help to lower your risk. You must also pay attention to your diet and ensure you limit your sodium consumption. You must also limit your consumption of saturated fat and trans fat.
However, lowering your chances of diabetes is not the only way to prevent heart disease. There are still many more things you can do.
Other Ways to Prevent Heart Disease
Here are some things you can do to take care of your heart and prevent heart disease:
- Check Your Blood Pressure Regularly
It is essential to regularly check your blood pressure and ensure it is within the normal range. If you have abnormally high blood pressure, your doctor will prescribe medications for you and advise you on the best practice to lower your blood pressure. The earlier you treat high blood pressure, the safer for you.
- Avoid Stress
Many reasons can be responsible for stress, but stress is dangerous for your heart and your health. Stress can lead to high blood pressure, anxiety, and alcoholism, and other harmful lifestyles. Therefore, if you notice you have a stress problem, you should immediately work on it and find ways to manage your stress properly. Exercise can help, and there are also medications that you can take to relieve stress. You can also visit a counsellor for help.
- Live a Healthy Lifestyle
For overall health, and especially for a good heart condition, you should eat a balanced diet and avoid food that can raise the cholesterol level in the blood. You must also exercise regularly and rest properly. If you smoke, you must quit it. It would help if you also cut down your alcohol and caffeine consumption. Likewise, it would help if you stayed out of any form of drug abuse.
You Can Get Help
However, if you are a diabetes patient, you can still manage your condition to live as healthy as possible. You can also prevent heart diseases. If you need professional assistance, you can call us. We will be glad to support you and help you manage your condition in the best possible way. Also, if you need medical advice on how to avoid diabetes, heart diseases and maintain good health, we will be glad to assist you.
Conclusion
Heart disease is any disease that affects the proper functioning of the heart. While heart disease can affect anybody, people who have diabetes are twice at risk. However, you can lower your risk of diabetes and heart disease by maintaining a healthy body weight and living an active and healthy lifestyle. It would be best if you also avoid smoking and excessive alcohol consumption. It will help if you watch your diet. Avoid food that has a high content of sodium, saturated fat, and trans fat.
