5 ways to protect your heart when you have diabetes
Keep your heart healthy with these diabetes-friendly lifestyle changes.
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If you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes, it’s vital to take steps to protect your heart health. In fact, people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes have such a greater risk of heart disease, there’s a name for it: diabetic heart disease (DHD), also known as diabetic cardiomyopathy.
For example, women with type 1 or type 2 diabetes are up to five times more likely to have heart failure, according to a 2020 article published in Circulation Research, while men are more than twice as likely. People with diabetes are also more likely to develop heart issues at a younger age and more likely to die from a cardiovascular-related event, like a heart attack or stroke.
To protect your heart when you have diabetes, it is important to monitor your blood sugar levels, adhere to your prescriptions or other medical treatments, and maintain a healthy weight. Weight management is particularly important if you have extra pounds around your stomach—a known risk factor for heart disease.
Fortunately, certain lifestyle changes can help lower your blood sugar levels, your risk of developing DHD, and your chances of associated issues, such as heart attack and stroke. Not sure where to begin? These lifestyle tips are a good place to start.
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