Even though people with diabetes are more likely to have a heart attack than people without diabetes, there are five simple steps you can take to help lower your risk for heart disease. It is important to establish a target for each step, to know your numbers and to work with your health care provider to achieve these targets. Ongoing changes to your health care routine, including the medicines you take, may be needed in order to achieve your established targets. If you work hard and reach these targets, you will reduce your risk of developing heart disease.
A heart attack occurs when blood flow to the heart is interrupted and the heart doesn’t get the oxygen it needs. The blood flow is interrupted when the blood vessels that provide oxygen become diseased and narrowed because of plaque. This narrowing is called Coronary Artery Disease, or more generally, just heart disease. Since people with diabetes are more likely to have a heart attack than people without diabetes, you must work to keep your heart as healthy as possible. Even if you don’t have diabetes, it is still important for you to keep heart healthy.
5 STEPS TO REDUCING YOUR RISK FOR HEART DISEASE
1. Lowering your blood glucose to as close to normal as possible
2. Lowering your blood pressure
3. Lowering your blood lipids (cholesterol and triglycerides)
4. Not smoking (if you do smoke, quit)
5. Taking an aspirin a day (81 mg)
1. CONTROLLING BLOOD GLUCOSE
Controlling your blood glucose may prevent or delay blood vessel damage. The ADA recommends the following ranges for adults with diabetes:
A1C under 7%
Blood glucose before meals of 90-130 mg/dL
Blood glucose 2 hours after meals of under 180 mg/dL
It is important to check your blood glucose at home every day and keep a log to take to your health care provider. Blood glucose changes day to day and over time. Often oral medicines and/or insulin are necessary to achieve your target blood glucose. Your health care provider will work with you in making changes so you can achieve your best possible blood glucose level, thereby helping to reduce the chance of heart disease.
2. CONTROLLING BLOOD PRESSURE
People with diabetes often have high blood pressure, which raises the risk of heart disease. It is important to control your blood pressure so that you can help reduce your risk of heart disease. The American Diabetes Association recommends that all people with diabetes have a blood pressure that is less than 130/80 mm/Hg. You should work with your health care provider to find the best way to lower your blood pressure to achieve your target. Starting with lifestyle changes, such as physical activity, and adding medicines as necessary to control blood pressure is recommended to help you achieve your target blood pressure.
3. CONTROLLING CHOLESTEROL
Not only does high blood glucose and high blood pressure increase the risk of heart disease, but high blood cholesterol and fats also increase the risk. It is important to know your LDL and HDL cholesterol levels, as well as your triglyceride numbers, to help reduce your risk of heart disease. The LDL cholesterol is bad because it builds up in the walls of your arteries, forming hard plaques. HDL cholesterol is good because it helps your body get rid of the harmful cholesterol. Triglycerides are another type of fat that can also lead to hardening of the arteries. Your health care provider can determine your cholesterol levels with a simple blood test, which you should have at least once every year. The ADA recommends that your LDL cholesterol be lower than 100 mg/dL, and there are also data suggesting that lowering your cholesterol to even 70 mg/dL further reduces the risk of developing heart disease. HDL cholesterol should be greater than 40 mg/dL for men and for women, they should be greater than 50 mg/dL. Triglycerides should be under 150 mg/dL.
Like blood glucose control and blood pressure control, it is important to achieve target numbers for blood lipids. Your health care provider will work with you and recommend lifestyle changes and medicines to lower your LDL cholesterol and increase your HDL cholesterol.
4. STOP SMOKING
Cigarette smoking narrows blood vessels and promotes the build-up of fats and cholesterol on blood vessel walls. Smoking also makes blood clot faster. If you smoke, toss the cigarettes. Quitting smoking is one of the best things to do to lower your risk of heart disease.
5. AN ASPIRIN A DAY
Taking an aspirin a day can help reduce the risk of heart attack. Research throughout the 1990s has confirmed that compared with patients with diabetes who do not take aspirin, patients who take aspirin have a reduced risk of heart attack and stroke. The ADA recommends daily aspirin for patients with diabetes who have known heart disease or who are at high risk for heart disease (such as family history of heart disease or personal history of hypertension, high blood lipids, obesity or smoking). Talk with your health care provider to see if aspirin therapy is right for you.
