Diabetic adults have a two- to four-fold increase in risk of heart disease and approximately 65 percent of diabetics die from some form of heart disease or stroke, according to the American Heart Association. A major risk factor for heart disease in diabetics is abnormal cholesterol levels. Achieving healthy cholesterol levels in diabetics can lower the risk of heart disease complications by 20 to 50 percent, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Diabetes Risk
Abnormal cholesterol levels including low HDL or good cholesterol levels that are less than 35 mg/dL and triglyceride levels above 250 mg/dL are considered risk factors for diabetes. People who are overweight, under the age of 45 and who have additional risk factors such as unhealthy cholesterol and high blood pressure should be tested for diabetes.
Metabolic Syndrome
Unhealthy cholesterol levels are a risk factor for developing metabolic syndrome or insulin resistance syndrome which is the presence of a group of risk factors that produce harmful effects in the body leading to heart disease and stroke. Levels of HDL cholesterol below 50 mg/dL for women and below 40 mg/dL for men or triglyceride levels of 150 mg/dL or more are considered risk factors for metabolic syndrome.
Diabetic Dislipidemia
The presence of low HDL cholesterol, high LDL cholesterol and high triglyceride levels in diabetics marks the presence of a condition called diabetic dislipidemia, which is a marker for early signs of atherosclerosis or clogging of the arteries and heart disease. The AHA recommends that diabetics lower LDL levels to below 70 mg/dL, raise HDL levels to 60 mg/dL or higher and lower their triglyceride levels to less than 150 mg/dL.
