Risk Factors

If left untreated or improperly managed, diabetes can result in a variety of complications, including: heart disease, kidney disease, eye disease, impotence and nerve damage. People with diabetes are at very high risk of heart disease and stroke. In fact, up to 80% of people with diabetes will die as a result of a heart attack or stroke. In addition, people with diabetes may develop these types of problems at a younger age.

The good news is that people with diabetes can lower their risk of heart disease and stroke considerably by paying careful attention to all of their risk factors. Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight through regular physical activity and healthy eating are important, but most people with diabetes will also require a number of medications to reach these goals.

Blood glucose target: A1C of at least under 7.0%

When your doctor says you have high cholesterol, he is talking about LDL or bad cholesterol. It is “bad” because high levels lead the build-up of plaque in the artery walls. Sometimes the high LDL is a gift from your parents. But most of the time, it is from your diet – and it’s a major problem. Think plumbing – your arteries are the pipes that your blood flows through to your body and heart – LDL is the gunk that clogs your pipes. It can make it more difficult for blood to flow through your heart and body, putting you at increased risk of circulatory problems, heart disease and stroke. This narrowing is called Atherosclerosis.

What can you do?

1. Reduce your fat intake to 20-35% of your daily calories.
2. Choose healthy fats such as polyunsaturated and monounsaturated, found mainly in vegetable oils, nuts and fish
3. Limit your intake of saturated fat found mainly in red meat and high-fat dairy products.
4. Avoid trans fats often found in foods made with shortening or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, hard margarines, fast foods and many pre-made foods. Trans fats raise bad cholesterol and lower good cholesterol.
5. Use Canada’s Food Guide to plan a healthier diet. Eat more whole grains, cereals, vegetables and fruit.
6. Snack wisely. Choose low-salt pretzels, plain popcorn or fruit, rather than higher-fat or junk food types of snacks.
7. Use lower-fat cooking methods such as baking, broiling or steaming and try to avoid fried food.
8. Be smoke-free. Smoking increases LDL (bad) cholesterol.
9. Get physically active. Being active most days of the week can improve good cholesterol levels.

Maintaining a healthy body weight is an important part of keeping you and your heart healthy. You do not have to achieve your ideal weight before you see benefits. A 5-10% reduction will result in improved blood sugar and cholesterol levels. When you lose weight, it has an impact on just about every other risk factor. So it’s a great place to start. It will make managing the other risk factors a lot easier. Committing to lose weight will lower your blood pressure, your “bad” cholesterol, your blood sugar and your stress and raise your mood.

An individual’s ideal blood pressure is determined by their personal risk factors. For most patients, we target blood pressure reading at less than 140/90 in the doctor’s office, or less than 135/85 in the community. In patients with diabetes or kidney issues, a blood pressure of 130/80 may be ideal.

By taking your medication as prescribed and making some lifestyle changes, you can bring your blood pressure down to a healthy range and reduce your risk of developing heart disease, stroke and kidney disease. In fact, controlling your blood pressure reduces your risk of having a stroke by 40%, a heart attack by 20-25% and heart failure by 50%.

Stress can contribute to high blood pressure and heart disease. People react to stress in different ways; some are healthy responses, while others are not. It is important to understand what causes stress in your life and find ways to reduce it, or deal with it in a healthy way.

Download this pdf from the Heart & Stroke Foundation to find more information on dealing with stress.

Quitting smoking can do more than reduce your risk of heart disease, it can reduce your risk for cancer, and improve your breathing. Quitting smoking is hard, and there are many approaches you can take. Your local pharmacist is a great resource for help with quitting smoking.

For more resources please visit Alberta Quits.