People with diabetes can prevent heart disease and stroke in a number of ways, and lifestyle changes can make a big difference, with a quarter of deaths from heart disease and stroke preventable in people under 75 years of age.
For people with diabetes, it’s a good idea to be proactive about heart health because people with diabetes are 2 times more likely to have a stroke or heart attack than non-diabetics. Here are 6 ways to reduce the risk of heart disease in people with diabetes.
Get moving
Exercise strengthens the heart, lowers blood pressure, burns calories, and improves blood sugar and cholesterol levels, which together form a powerful health protection.
You don’t have to go to the gym to exercise. 30 minutes of brisk walking a day, 5 days a week, can reduce your chances of heart disease and stroke. The key to walking is to walk at a faster pace and increase the length and frequency of your walk if 30 minutes is too long.
Advice: You can use a pedometer to keep track of how many steps you take each day, which can motivate you to exercise.
Choose heart-healthy fats
The type of fat in your food affects your blood cholesterol. Don’t eat processed snacks and sweets, fried foods, solid fats like whole milk and cheese, butter, and fat-rich red meat.
These foods contain saturated and trans fats, which are not good for heart health; instead, choose unsaturated fats, which come mainly from plants.
Such as vegetable oils, nuts and seeds, these fats are considered “good” fats because they improve cholesterol levels and are good for heart health.
“Bad” fats and “good” fats
The omega-3 fatty acids are also heart-healthy and help prevent clogged arteries, so eat non-fried fish at least 2 times a week and choose healthy, fatty fish like salmon, albacore tuna, sardines, rainbow trout, and mackerel.
Boost your intake of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Soy products, walnuts, flaxseed, and canola oil are also good sources of omega-3 fatty acids.
Advice: To maximize heart benefits, eliminate the “bad” fats and include the “good” fats, and instead of burgers or ribs (which contain unhealthy saturated fats), choose grilled salmon or trout.
Don’t use butter when cooking, use vegetable, olive or canola oil, and instead of cheese on your sandwich, try a little avocado.
Eat more whole grains, fruits, and vegetables
The high fiber content and low calorie content of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables make them ideal for maintaining a healthy weight, and a 2009 study found that people who did the following had an 81% lower risk of heart disease and a 50% lower risk of stroke:
- Lose weight.
- Lose weight.
- Exercise 3.5 hours or more per week.
- Do not smoke.
- Eat whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
- Eat whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
In addition, a large study in 2011 showed that Swedish women who ate lots of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables had a 17% lower risk of stroke. Citrus fruits and dark orange, red, yellow, and green vegetables and fruits are high-quality sources of antioxidants.
Recommendation: Set a goal of having half of your food at each meal be fruits and vegetables.
Maintain a healthy weight
Losing excess weight and keeping it off isn’t easy, but studies have shown that maintaining a healthy weight can reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke by making long-term lifestyle changes, such as reducing calorie intake and exercising regularly.
Advice: It takes time to lose weight, don’t get discouraged, and even if you don’t lose weight, exercise and a healthy diet can reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Quit smoking
Smoking is not only bad for your lungs, it’s also bad for your heart. Smoking increases your chances of heart disease by 2 to 4 times and your chances of stroke by 2 times, and quitting is hard, but successfully quitting can help.
Consulting individuals, groups, and making counseling calls, finding solutions to quitting, and programs on your phone can all be helpful in quitting.
Nicotine patches, inhalers, and prescription medications also work, and the combination of counseling and medications is more effective for quitting than the various therapies alone.
Advice: Call a quitline or ask your doctor for help.
Know your indicators
Getting your diabetes under control reduces the chance of heart disease and stroke, and if you can control your blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and glycated blood red (HbA1c, the average blood glucose value over the past 2 to 3 months) levels, you can move in a good direction.
In order to do these things, you first need to know your indicators and have frequent checkups, including blood tests and physicals.