"We are what we eat" is a saying that medical science confirms. What people eat makes a great impact on their health and the development of diseases. Diet contributes to the onset of diabetes, the development of high blood pressure and the raising of cholesterol levels. Each condition impacts the others.
Diabetes
Diabetes describes a medical condition that occurs when the body fails to produce enough insulin --- the hormone responsible for transporting glucose into cells, or the insulin produced cannot function properly. Patients with Type I diabetes, formerly known as juvenile diabetes fail to produce insulin and require insulin therapy to keep blood glucose levels down. Type II diabetes, the most common form, can onset at any age and can often be controlled by diet.
High Blood Pressure
Blood pressure, reported as a combination of two measurements, describes the force of the blood against the walls of the blood vessels. Doctors diagnose a patient with high blood pressure, also called hypertension, when the readings reach or exceed 140 mmHg for systolic and 90 mmHg for diastolic, according to the American Heart Association. Although many uncontrollable risk factors contribute to high blood pressure, including age, race, gender and heredity, patients can regulate their blood pressure by changing the controllable risk factors such as diet.
Cholesterol
Most people think of cholesterol, a waxy fat substance, as bad. The body actually needs some cholesterol to function properly. The human body contains two types of cholesterol, good cholesterol --- high density lipoprotein, or HDL and bad cholesterol --- low density lipoprotein, or LDL. Too much LDL in the body can lead to heart disease, heart attack or stroke. Likewise, too little HDL can contribute to health conditions. The body produces about 75 percent of the cholesterol in blood while food contributes the remaining 25 percent.
Influence of Diet
As food travels through the digestive system the body breaks it down into smaller particles it can absorb. Most types of food become glucose --- a type of sugar and the major energy source for the body, according to MedLinePlus. Because of a lack of functioning insulin, patients with diabetes must monitor their intake of sugars and carbohydrates that digest into sugars. Eating a high fat diet, especially saturated fats, increases bad cholesterol and contributes to high blood pressure. Excessive salt consumption can increase blood volume and lead to high blood pressure.
Interaction
High cholesterol and high blood pressure often occur hand in hand. A high blood cholesterol level means more fat can accumulate in the blood vessels at the site of damage. High blood pressure causes damage to the walls of blood vessels, attracting fat and cholesterol. Patients diagnosed with diabetes are likely to also have high cholesterol and high blood pressure. In fact, two out of three adults with diabetes also suffer from high blood pressure, according to the American Diabetes Association.
