If you have type 2 diabetes, it’s time to get serious about your heart. A healthy lifestyle and medications (if needed) will help reduce the risk of heart disease.
What is the relationship between high blood sugar and heart disease?
Dr. Stacey Rosen, a cardiologist at Northwell Health in New Hyde Park, New York, says the link between heart disease and diabetes is strong for two main reasons: First, chronic high blood sugar damages blood vessels and accelerates atherosclerosis – the hardening and narrowing of blood vessels.
“Vascular damage is responsible for complications of diabetes, such as blindness, kidney failure, and heart disease,” she said.
Second, many of the factors that increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease are cross-linked. The risk of both diseases is elevated if you have:
- overweight;
- hypertension;
- Low levels of “good” cholesterol;
- Insufficient exercise.
How to reduce the risk of developing it?
Losing weight will help protect your heart, in addition to maintaining a healthy body mass index (BMI), if necessary. Losing even just 10 pounds can make a significant difference in controlling blood sugar levels and reducing the risk of heart disease.
Rosen recommends working with a dietitian or certified diabetes educator to develop a meal plan that fits your needs.
Exercise is also critical to help manage diabetes and keep your heart healthy. The American Heart Association says you should get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise each week, which gets your heart pumping. You should also do strength training at least twice a week.
Rosen says this may sound like a lot of exercise, but it’s important to remember that small amounts of exercise over the course of a day or week can add up over time.
“It’s not necessary to do everything perfectly. But anything you do is important,” she says.” A 15-minute walk after lunch is a good place to start. Lifting weights with a soda bottle or a can of vegetables is also a good exercise.
A doctor may prescribe a statin, a drug designed to lower cholesterol levels. rosen said that most people with diabetes benefit from these drugs even if their cholesterol levels seem normal. That’s because diabetes and heart disease are so closely linked that statins don’t just lower levels of LDL, the “bad” cholesterol, they also reduce the risk of heart attacks or strokes caused by the shedding of plaque from blood vessels. Your doctor can help weigh the risks and benefits.
A few questions to ask your doctor at your next visit:
- How high is my risk of heart disease?
- What cardiovascular screenings do I need to have?
- What cardiovascular screenings do I need?
- Do I need to take a statin?
- How is my blood sugar control?
- What signs may indicate a heart attack?