Sunday, February 17, 2008

Diabetes and High Blood Pressure

Did you know that people with diabetes are more likely to be overweight and have high blood pressure and high cholesterol. A good percentage of overweight people are likely to have a few metabolic problems at once, this in turn can lead to other problems like heart disease. The term Cardiometabolic Risk means that if you have one of these problems you are at higher risk of having others. If you feel you are overweight it is best to go and check yourself out at you local G.P. and see if you have any of the following problems:

High Blood Pressure - high blood pressure and diabetes have always been linked together. If you have high blood pressure you are more likely to get heart disease, stroke and kidney disease. At least 35% of people with diabetes have high blood pressure.

Blood fats - Your body stores fat for future energy. A lot of these fats are good for the body but fats such as Triglycerides can lead to a heart attack if levels are to high.

Insulin resistance - Insulin helps the cells in the body to use sugar, Insulin resistance occurs when the cells no longer respond well to insulin.

Obesity - If you are overweight you are more likely to get type 2 diabetes. A body mass index of 25 is considered overweight, a BMI of 30 is considered obese.

If you have pre-diabetes and are afraid of developing type 2 diabetes there is some good news. You will have to make some changes though, your diet will have to change as well as doing more exercise. By having a better diet and doing 30 minutes a day of light exercise you are likely to make a 60% reduction in your chance of getting type 2 diabetes. A good nutritional diet is best, by eating healthy foods such as fruit and vegetables, whole grain foods, dried beans, fish, light meats, non-fat dairy products and lots of water, this will help reduce the risk. Base your diet around these foods and as always eat in moderation, eat to much of anything and you are going to gain weight.

For more information on diabetes visit
http://www.reddiabetes.com

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