It’s a statistical fact that people with diabetes are more likely to die from cardiovascular problems, like heart attack and stroke than those without diabetes. These same studies show that high LDL (bad cholesterol) and low HDL (good cholesterol) is a strong indicator of the potential for a future heart attack.
CHOLESTEROL DEFINED: Cholesterol is a substance that is made by your own body, but it can also be found in various food products, particularly animal products, such as beef, eggs, and butter. A certain amount of cholesterol in the body is fine, however too much cholesterol can lead to health problems.
DIABETES DEFINED: Diabetes is a chronic condition normally associated with high levels of glucose or sugar in your blood. This blood sugar cannot be properly used by the body, because of an imbalance in the insulin levels. The two types of diabetes are type 1 and type 2, where type 1 is insulin dependent.
If you currently have diabetes, the likelihood of having cholesterol related difficulties will be greater so managing your cholesterol, in particular lowering your LDL cholesterol will improve your health, and reduce your chances encountering cardiovascular disease. Statistics indicate that a person with diabetes who effectively lowers their LDL cholesterol can reduce the risk of a heart attack by over 20%.
LDL CHOLESTEROL: High levels of LDL in the blood are known to increase the incidence of heart disease.
If you have diabetes one of your primary goals should be to reduce your cholesterol level, in particular your LDL or bad cholesterol. Stated simply when your LDL is too high, certain plaques along with other substances are deposited on the inner walls of your arteries, making blood flow more difficult, and increasing your likelihood of heart disease, stroke, or death.
HDL cholesterol (also known as good cholesterol), works quite the opposite than LDL, removing cholesterol from your blood. You should strive to maintain your HDL cholesterol levels at or above 40 MG/DL, with a higher number being better. Statistics show that a HDL level of 60 MG/DL and above is an effective deterrent to heart disease.
If you currently have type 1 or type 2 diabetes and are wondering how it affects cholesterol, in essence diabetes tends to lower the good cholesterol and raise triglycerides (the bad cholesterol). By doing this, diabetes works contrary to what your body needs, and less precautions are taken, your likelihood for heart disease and stroke is increased, the medical terminology for this is diabetic dyslipidemia.
This simply means that your profile is going in the wrong direction, and while that is stated here very simply, it can be a very deadly combination and should be taken very seriously.
While medical science continues to make advancements in the cure diabetes, armed with a proper information and motivation, diabetes sufferers can do much to aid our body in overcoming these difficulties.
1. First and foremost visit your doctor if you have any concerns or questions, and have your cholesterol checked regularly.
2. Discuss with your doctor the various plans available, and which are best suited for your own personal situation.
3. If necessary change the way you eat, since the old expression “we are what we eat” is especially true with diabetes, to a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol.
4. Stay active, meaning exercise regularly, the American Heart Association recommends at least 30 minutes of good exercise every day.
Life is a journey, and living with diabetes and cholesterol may be part of your journey, it does not mean you can’t have a long and healthy life, simply that you need to take the proper precautions.
By: June Carr
Posts Tagged ‘Chronic Condition’
Diabetes and Cholesterol – The Danger Signs
April 2nd, 2010Diabetes – The Controllable Disease
February 8th, 2010
Introduction
Diabetes is a disease that affects how the body uses glucose (say: gloo-kose), a sugar that is the body’s main source of fuel. Diabetes is a chronic condition that needs close attention, but with some practical knowledge, you can become your child’s most important ally in learning to live with the disease.
“The prevalence of diabetes is going up because obesity is going up,” says Judith Fradkin, director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases at the National Institutes of Health. “Generally, the first step in treatment is to make patients believe that diabetes is a disease that can be effectively controlled. The “amount of money it will cost in 10 years to manage diabetes is going to bust the economies” of many countries, says institute president Paul Robertson.
Diabetes
Diabetes, caused by the body’s inability to produce or use insulin effectively to prevent a buildup of sugar in the blood, now afflicts nearly 21 million in the USA and roughly 250 million worldwide. Diabetes can also cause long-term complications in some people, including heart disease, stroke, vision impairment, and kidney damage. Diabetes can also cause other problems in the blood vessels, nerves, and gums.
Blood
During the past decade, medical studies have shown that by reducing high blood pressure and cholesterol and keeping blood sugar levels as close to normal as possible, diabetics can forestall many of the disabling complications that once seemed inevitable. This knowledge, along with simpler, more accurate blood tests and better drugs, has improved treatment, says Buse, an endocrinologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “New drug treatments, more accurate methods for monitoring blood sugar levels and assessing control of diabetes, and practical steps that patients can take are more common than ever, she says. Until 1993, it wasn’t clear that lowering blood sugar prevented or delayed complications, and it’s only within the past decade that doctors learned that managing blood pressure and cholesterol reduced complications, she says.
Type
There are two major forms of diabetes: type 1, an autoimmune disease that results in loss of the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas and usually occurs in children or young adults, who need daily insulin shots; and type 2, which accounts for 90% of diabetes cases and is associated with obesity and inactivity and reduces the ability to use insulin efficiently.
Type 1 diabetes (formerly called insulin-dependent diabetes or juvenile diabetes) occurs when the person’s own immune system attacks and destroys the cells of the pancreas that produce insulin. Type 1 diabetes occurs at about the same rate in men and women, but it is more common in Whites than in minorities.
Type 2 diabetes (formerly called non-insulin-dependent diabetes) is different. Type 2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes about 9 out of 10 people with diabetes have type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is more common in older people, mainly in people who are overweight.
Conclusion
The best way to prevent diabetes is to make some lifestyle changes and maintain a healthy weight.
By: Richard Ealom
Diabetes – What is Type 2 Diabetes?
November 25th, 2009
Type 2 Diabetes is by far the most common type of the disease accounting for 90-95% of all cases. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) estimates that 21 million Americans have diabetes and that only two thirds of them even know it. Type 2 starts in middle age or later. It is growing so rapidly because of the epidemic in obesity not only in the US but all over the world. There is no cure but there is plenty you can do to prevent it and then control it.
Type 2 is a chronic condition that affects the way your body metabolizes sugar the main source of fuel. When people eat food, it is broken down into a sugar known as glucose, which is then released into the blood where it is carried to cells inside the body. Insulin is made by the pancreas to help the cells use the glucose from the blood.
People with Type 2 Diabetes have insulin resistance which prevents insulin from processing glucose properly. Soon more and more insulin is produced to overcome the resistance. During the later stages of the disease as the resistance increases, the blood glucose increases to above safe levels, but the body can’t use it properly and the body actually starves for more energy.
If left untreated and again most people don’t know they have it, disastrous results are sure to come. It increases risk for eye, nerve, blood vessel, heart, and kidney problems.
Many people diagnosed with Type 2 are obese and have a sedentary lifestyle. Just getting older is also a risk factor, because as we age our resistance to insulin can rise too. 21 percent of people over 60 have diabetes-a scary statistic!!
The most important thing to remember, if you are diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes is that it is possible to control your diabetes instead of letting it control you. But it is in your hands.
By: Jack Krohn
