Diabetes - Assessing The Cardiovascular Risk!

Regular exercise not only helps control blood sugar levels but can also help lower hypertension and control weight. Exercising can also help delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. Thus in short, it can also help your heart stay healthy. In addition, exercising can also help manage stress effectively and strengthen the heart muscles. The ideal exercise for diabetics includes walking, cycling, swimming and other low intensity workouts. However, do check with your doctor before starting a new exercise regimen.

The number of years a person has suffered from diabetes is directly proportional to their risk of cardiovascular diseases. This is interrelated to the age at which diabetes was first diagnosed. Diabetes is often characterized by hyperglycemia. When this is combined with the fatty acids in the blood, it can change the structure of the blood vessels. Thicker blood vessel lining is one such common effect of diabetes. Over time, as the walls get thicker, blood flow is reduced to and from the heart thereby increasing chances of strokes and other such heart diseases.

Not all diabetics have the same risk of heart disease. As a person s age increases so do the risk of heart conditions. Men also have a higher risk of suffering from cardiovascular troubles associated with diabetes as compared to women. Both diabetes and heart diseases may be hereditary. Hence, family history is another important factor to be kept in mind while assessing an individual s risk of heart disease. Other factors that can increase the risk of heart disease include obesity, smoking, lack of physical exercise and unhealthy diet.

There are two types of cholesterol- low-density lipoproteins and high-density lipoproteins. Of these, only the former is harmful to the body. High-density lipoproteins are also referred to as good cholesterol. They can help reduce bad cholesterol in the body and thus lower the risk of strokes and other such heart diseases.