Diabetes may be one disease, but along with it often comes many others that can put your health at risk. People with diabetes are at a significantly increased risk of cardiovascular problems like stroke and heart attack, according to the American Diabetes Association. Cholesterol management is very important for diabetics to help reduce their risk of these serious cardiovascular events. Careful monitoring, along with a healthy diet, regular exercise and medications if necessary, can help keep cholesterol under control and your health in good shape.
What Happens With Diabetes
Diabetes is a disease in which the pancreas doesn't produce enough insulin to break down the sugar in your blood from the foods that you eat, says the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC). In some cases, the pancreas may not produce any insulin at all. When blood sugar (glucose) levels get too high for too long, the body is significantly damaged. Diabetes damages the nerves, blood vessels and arteries, kidneys and more, says the NDIC.
How Cholesterol Gets High
Cholesterol is a thick material that flows through the blood. It's produced by the liver, says the American Heart Association (AHA), but you also get it from the foods that you eat. Animal-based foods are major sources of dietary cholesterol, so foods like meat, chicken, whole-fat dairy (cheese, milk, yogurt, etc.) and the yolks of eggs are high in cholesterol. Diabetes actually increases cholesterol levels, but it also decreases levels of what's called "good" cholesterol, or HDL, says the AHA.
Effects of High Cholesterol
If you eat too many foods high in cholesterol, there's more of it in your blood--and it starts to build up inside your blood vessels. Eventually, thick cholesterol buildup clogs the blood vessels so that the blood can't pass through and the blood vessels become rigid, says the NDIC. If the blood supply to the heart is restricted, a heart attack can result. If the blood supply to the brain is restricted, a stroke can result.
Managing Diabetes
There are a number of risk factors for heart disease, and being diabetic is one. Other risk factors include being obese, having high blood pressure and high cholesterol, and smoking, says the NDIC. Good management of diabetes--which means keeping your blood sugar levels under control with medication and/or insulin (if directed by your doctor), eating a low-fat, healthy diet and getting regular exercise--can help keep cholesterol levels low and reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Managing Cholesterol
Eating a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet rich in whole grains, fruits and vegetables is a great way to lower cholesterol levels and keep them at a healthy level. The NDIC suggests eating less than 300mg of cholesterol per day, and avoid trans fats found in fast foods and many packaged desserts. It's also important to get regular exercise to lower cholesterol levels; the NDIC recommends at least 30 minutes as many days of the week as possible. If you have high cholesterol, you may also need medications to lower cholesterol levels and prevent your risk of heart attack and stroke.
