Dr Manish Goel talks about Diabetes and Heart health

The relationship between diabetes and heart health

Diabetes and Heart Health

High blood sugar levels for a period, even slightly high, your blood vessels can start to get damaged, and this can lead to serious heart complications.

This is because the body can't use all of this sugar properly, so more of it sticks to your red blood cells and builds up in your blood. This build-up can block and damage the vessels carrying blood to and from your heart, starving the heart of oxygen and nutrients.

People with diabetes tend to develop heart disease at a younger age than people without diabetes. Adults with diabetes are nearly twice as likely to have heart disease or stroke as adults without diabetes.

There are some measures that patients with diabetes should implement to decrease the chance of having heart disease:

The A1C test:

• It shows your average blood glucose level over the past 3 months. This is different from the blood glucose checks you do every day.
• The higher your A1C number, the higher your blood glucose levels have been during the past 3 months.
• High levels of blood glucose can harm your heart, blood vessels, kidneys, feet, and eyes.
• The A1C goal for many people with diabetes is below 7%. Some people may do better with a slightly higher A1C goal.
• Your A1C goals may also change as you get older and your lifestyle changes.
• So, keeping as close as possible to your target HbA1c level will help protect your blood vessels and in turn your heart.

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