Preventing Heart and Blood Vessels Problems When You Are Diabetic
Those who are diabetic are prone to heart and blood vessel problems because of the risk of high glucose levels or high blood pressure associated with being diabetic. Healthy blood vessels and heart are necessary because it is your heart that pumps blood through your body to oxygenate your lungs and tissues that keeps your body functioning so you can stay alive. It is your large blood vessels that carry the blood along with small blood vessels and veins, which carry the blood, back to the heart. When your heart muscle is weak or the blood vessels damaged you can experience heart disease or stroke.
Diabetics can take control over their future by controlling the health of their heart and blood vessels. They can take control by monitoring their blood glucose levels on a daily basis as instructed to do by their doctor. They can take an A1C test twice a year that will tell the condition of your average blood glucose for the 2 to 3 months. You can also keep your blood pressure under control by checking the blood pressure reading on a regular basis and by having your doctor check it at every doctor visit. A good target blood pressure reading is 130/80. It is also important to keep your cholesterol under control by having it checked twice a year. A good target for most individuals is a LDL (bad cholesterol) of below 100, and a HDL (good cholesterol) of above 40 in males and above 50 in females. Triglycerides, which are another type of fat in the blood, should be tested too with an average target number of below 150.
You can keep your heart and blood vessels healthy by making sure your are physically active for at least 30 minutes a day.
It is important that you eat healthy meals and snacks that include foods high in fiber, plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, cut back on foods that are high in saturated fat or cholesterol such as meats, butter, dairy products that contain fat, eggs, shortening, lard, and other foods that contain palm oil or coconut oil. You can also limit your intake of trans fats, such as those contained in snack foods and commercially packaged bakery.
Another way to keep your heart and blood vessels healthy is to lose weight if you are overweight for your height. A combination of proper portions and healthy diet along with regular exercise will help you to lose weight or maintain your weight.
If you are diabetic it is really important not to smoke because smoking increases the pressure in your blood vessels, which can lead to nerve damage, heart disease and stroke.
Some studies have shown that taking a low-dose aspirin a day can reduce your risk for heart disease and stroke; talk to your doctor before starting any aspirin regime.
It is important to take all diabetic insulin and medications as prescribed.
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