Ensign, of St. Joseph, Mo., began by educating himself about diabetes, making him two to four times much more likely to develop cardiovascular disease. In fact, cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 cause of death for individuals with Type 2 diabetes. Symptoms can be apparent, like angina (chest pain), or silent, like atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries). Diabetes attacks one in 10 Americans, based on the U.S. Centers for Disease Avoidance and Control. By 2050, the CDC projects, one in three Americans will have the condition.
Ensign gets the most serious form of diabetes, Type 1, so he needs regular insulin shots. With Type 1, the pancreas does not produce of the hormone insulin to modify blood sugars enough. Ensign, vice president of a cleaning-products manufacturer. A SORT 2 patient doesn’t invariably need insulin. When people are identified as having diabetes, “ABC” becomes the acronym they live by. Otherwise, they increase their probability of having heart disease and other diabetes problems, such as vision neuropathy and loss.
A1C test. Whether it’s greater than 7 percent, the center can suffer harm. 130/80 or lower. Whether it’s too high, the heart has to work harder to pump blood, and the person is more likely to have a heart attack. If diet and exercise alone do not lower blood pressure, a doctor may prescribe medication.
Unchecked, diabetes makes “bad cholesterol,” or low-density lipoprotein (LDL), too high. This jeopardizes the heart by clogging arteries with plaque. If a clot forms, a person could have a center heart stroke or strike. The goal is to keep LDL under 100 mg/dl. If diet changes do not lower cholesterol to safe levels, a person may have to take medicine such as Lipitor. Diabetes complicates Ensign’s life, but managing it is his priority.
Because obesity would endanger his center, he keeps his weight down. Dr. Robert Eckel, professor of medication at the University of Colorado and spokesman for the American Heart Association. Doctors urge smokers to break the addiction, whether they have diabetes, because smoking taxes the heart. To greatly help plan an eating plan, diabetes sufferers should see a registered dietitian who has “certified diabetes educator” qualifications.
Also, see an endocrinologist, Eckel added, for an individualized plan, because every patient’s circumstances are different. Meals for diabetics should include more fibers and fewer fats, salt, glucose, and processed foods. Primarily, diabetes becomes a person into a carb counter because carbohydrates impact the condition greatly. At one time, diabetics went nowhere without their log books, where they recorded their glucose, blood circulation pressure and LDL levels, meals and exercise.