Diabetes and Heart Disease
What Is Diabetes?
Diabetes Mellitus is a group of diseases in which there is a high level of glucose (sugar) that remains in the blood. The glucose can’t enter the cells because there is little or no insulin produced in the body or the cells don’t use the insulin effectively. Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas that allows nutrients enter the cells of the body. It acts as a key to open the door of each of the body’s millions of cells, allowing nutrients (ie: carbohydrates, proteins, fats…) to enter each cell to provide fuel for its work. If there is too little insulin or no insulin or if the cell doesn’t use the insulin properly, nutrients cannot enter the cells. The cells then cannot function properly and are damaged, abnormal changes occur in the blood vessels and nerves over time, and glucose builds up in the blood, causing additional disease or even death.
You can think of managing diabetes as a balancing act. Picture a sea-saw on the playground. One end of the sea-saw is weighted with food which the body turns into sugar or glucose so it can travel in the blood to be delivered to the cells. On the other end is insulin which is produced by the body so it can get the food from the blood into the cell.
If the sugar side of the sea-saw is higher than the insulin side, the body is out of balance and there isn’t enough insulin to get all the food or sugar into the cell. The sugar stays in the blood, raises the blood sugar level, and causes problems. This situation is called hyperglycemia. One way to get the sea-saw (the body) back into balance is to exercise to use up the excess sugar. Another way is to take in more insulin. Both responses need to be planned with your physician. There are times that you would NOT exercise, such as if you are spilling ketones into your urine.
On the other hand, if the sugar side of the sea-saw is lower than the insulin side, there can also be problems caused by this low blood sugar level. The cells need nourishment to do their work -- the insulin is there, but the sugar (or glucose) isn’t available. This situation is called hypoglycemia. To get the body back into balance, food is needed - a rapidly absorbed food such as orange juice or sugar packet, followed by a more substantial food from the meal plan.
Diabetes can be associated with serious complications and premature death, but people with diabetes can take steps to control the disease and lower the risk of complications.
- Heart disease is the leading cause of diabetes-related deaths. Adults with diabetes have heart disease death rates about 2 to 4 times higher than adults without diabetes.
- The risk for stroke is 2 to 4 times higher among people with diabetes.
- About 73% of adults with diabetes have blood pressure greater than or equal to 130/80 mm Hg or use prescription medications for hypertension.
- Uncontrolled diabetes often leads to biochemical imbalances that can cause acute life-threatening events, such as diabetic ketoacidosis and hyperosmolar (nonketotic) coma.
- People with diabetes are more susceptible to many other illnesses and, once they acquire these illnesses, often have a worse prognosis than people without diabetes. For example, they are more likely to die with pneumonia or influenza than people who do not have diabetes.
