The Diabetes and Heart Disease Link
The
Diabetes and Heart Disease Link
In our world today
cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death and disability.
Diabetes, the 7th leading cause of death in the US, continues to significantly
increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease at a 2-4 times higher
rate as compared to individuals without diabetes. Understanding the
relationship between diabetes and cardiovascular disease is one that is multifactorial
and complicated. Research shows that artherosclerosis, a major factor of
cardiovascular disease, is found to negatively affect an individual’s macrovascular
with diabetes to a greater extent as compared to individuals without diabetes. Furthermore
dyslipidemia, a strong risk factor of atherosclerosis is found in most individuals
with diabetes. These major risk factors along with smoking and hypertension are
found to act synergistically in the cardiovascular disease process.
In
the recent National Institutes of Health’s Treatment Option for Type 2 Diabetes
in Adolescents and Youth (TODAY) study found that the cardiovascular disease
process is accelerated with an early onset in adolescents and youth with Type 2
diabetes, where they exhibit risk factors such as hypertension, and hyperlipidemia.
This finding places emphasis on controlling risk factors such as hyperglycemia,
hypertension, and dyslipidemia as measures to prevent/slow the progression of
cardiovascular disease in individuals with diabetes, a concept which is
supported by various other studies. Surprisingly
enough, these risk factors are can be significantly affected through diet and other
lifestyle modifications.
Dietitians
play a unique role and are in the perfect position where they can individualize
dietary patterns to combat hyperglycemia as well as hypertension, and
dyslipidemia to help an individual manage their diabetes simultaneously while
lowering their risk of developing cardiovascular disease. By identifying
individual’s at risk, educating them, and providing culturally and age
sensitive intervention strategies dietitians can help their clients maintain
steady blood glucose levels, while preventing/slowing the cardiovascular
disease progress.
References
Brown-Riggs, C. (2014). The diabetes and heart
disease link. Today’s Dietitian, 16(4),
12. Retrieved from http://www.todaysdietitian.com/
-KP
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