B is for blood pressure. Blood pressure is the force of your blood against the wall of your blood vessels. If you have high blood pressure, your heart must work harder to pump blood. High blood pressure can strain your heart, damage blood vessels, and increase your risk of heart attack, stroke, eye problems, and kidney problems.
The American Diabetes Association recommends a target blood pressure level of 140/90 mm Hg for most adults with diabetes.
C is for cholesterol. Ninety-five percent of people with diabetes have some abnormal levels of cholesterol. There are two kinds of cholesterol in your blood: LDL and HDL. LDL or low-density lipoprotein is the “bad” cholesterol. Too much of it can cause a heart attack or stroke. HDL or high-density lipoprotein is the “good” cholesterol. HDL cholesterol helps remove the “bad” cholesterol from your blood vessels.
Another type of blood fat, triglycerides, also can raise your risk of heart disease when the levels are higher than recommended by your health care team. The combination of high triglycerides and low HDL cholesterol is most common in people with diabetes.
S is for stop smoking. Your risk for getting heart disease doubles if you are a smoker. Both smoking and diabetes narrow blood vessels and increases your risk of other long term complications, such as eye disease and amputations.
Keeping blood glucose levels close to normal and controlling blood pressure and cholesterol can lower your risk for heart disease and other heart problems. Ask your health care team about your goals for A1C, blood pressure, and cholesterol, and what you can do to reach these goals.
Constance Brown-Riggs, MSEd, RD, CDE, CDN is a registered dietitian, certified diabetes educator, national speaker and author of The African American Guide to Living Well with Diabetes.. She is a Dannon One Yogurt Every Day Nutrition Advisor.