Ask Dana: How Do I Protect My Heart While Having Heart Disease and Diabetes?
IDS Director of Technology and Applied Research, Dana Roseman
QUESTION:
Dear Dana,
I’m 38 years old and have lived with type 1 diabetes since I was 12. My blood sugars are generally well-managed, but I have a strong family history of heart disease—both my father and grandfather had heart attacks in their 50s. What steps can I take to be even more proactive in protecting my heart?
Robert Richardson
San Diego, California
ANSWER:
Dear Suzebelle,
Great question!
While it is true that people with type 1 diabetes (T1D) already have an increased risk of heart disease there are many things you can do to protect your heart above taking care of your diabetes.
However, managing your blood sugars is still your primary focus for a healthy heart. Wide fluctuations in blood sugars and sustained high glucose levels can contribute to inflammation and damaged blood vessels over time. If you use a continuous glucose monitor, aim for your time-in-range between 70 and 180 mg/dL to consistently be at least 70% of your day. Reducing extreme highs and frequent lows directly supports your goal for heart health.
Yet reducing your risk of heart disease is about more than just managing diabetes.
It is important to know other health values that impact your heart health. Managing your blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglycerides are key towards preventing arteriosclerosis, the hardening of arteries that contributes to heart disease. Your blood pressure goal is that the level is consistently under 130/80 mmHg. Your lab values for LDL, or “lousy” cholesterol, should be under 100 mg/dL, while HDL, or “healthy” cholesterol, should be higher than 50 mg/dL. Triglycerides should remain below 150 mg/dL. This will help guide you when you go to your checkups at the doctor’s office.
Nutrition also plays a key role in protecting your heart.
- Focus on increasing heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids along with reducing the saturated fat found in red meat and cheeses.
- Aim to include a wide variety of heart-healthy fats from plants as much as possible with olive and avocado oils, nuts, and seeds like hemp hearts and chia seeds.
- Fatty fish like salmon, maceral, and sardines also provide large amounts of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids; try to have these 2-3 times a week.
- Be sure to also include fiber-rich vegetables, beans, and whole grains.
- A high-fiber diet can also greatly reduce LDL cholesterol in your bloodstream and help reduce inflammation.
- Additionally, one of the best preventative things you can do is to reduce processed food that contains high amounts of sugar. These foods can directly increase levels of inflammation, raise blood glucose levels, and actually contribute to blood vessel damage over long periods of time.
In addition to nutrition, regular exercise is another tool for heart health.
A combination of aerobic activities such as walking, cycling, and swimming, along with resistance training like weightlifting or bodyweight exercises, is an ideal combination. If you’re already active, try adding short periods of higher-intensity workouts to boost your insulin sensitivity and cardiovascular fitness.
And finally, don’t discount other contributing factors that can impact heart and general health.
Specifically, long periods of stress and poor sleep habits can increase your level of inflammation over time. In addition, stress and limited sleep can increase blood pressure and insulin resistance. While difficult to do on a regular basis, try to focus on healthy coping skills like meditation or yoga while you prioritize good sleep habits. Aim for at least 7 hours of quality sleep to support your heart health.
It sounds like you are well on your way toward developing a strong cardiovascular program through healthy diabetes management and a focus on beneficial lifestyle habits.
Our clinicians at Integrated Diabetes Services can help support your efforts and formulate a more individualized plan for your diabetes and other health considerations. Give our office a call at 877-735-3648 to schedule your initial consult today!
If you need more individualized guidance, connect with our team here at IDS!
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