There are two main forms of diabetes mellitus (DM). Type 1 DM is most always diagnosed early in life and results from a lack of insulin production by the pancreas. Type 2 DM (adult onset) is usually diagnosed later in life and results from poor tissue response to insulin and decreased productiving in the pancreas.
Type 2 DM is associated with increase risk of many other health conditions including heart disease, kidney disease, eye damage, and stroke. But results of a new study prove the risk for heart disease is far greater than ever understood.
The report in the Lancet stated that diabetics age 40 have the same risk for heart disease as a non-diabetic healthy person age 55. So essentially diabetes ages the heart 15 years, regardless of other health conditions. Poorly controlled diabetes creates the greatest risk for heart disease.
Men and women have a different risks at differnt age. The greatest risk for men with diabetes peaks at age 41 and for women the risk peaks at age 48; so their hearts are like those of a 56 and 63 year olds.
And in young adults with Type 2 diabetes their risk for coronary artery disease, which contributes to heart attack and stroke, is increased by as much as 40 times that of healthy young adults without diabetes.
These conclusions were drawn after studying outcomes of more than 375,000 people with diabetes and more than 9 million without the disease who were living in Canada.
Various factors concerning the diagnosis of diabetes contribute to overall risk for heart disease and conditions such as kidney and nerve damage. Treatment should be tailored to fit the individual and should always begin with diet and exercise with a focus on weight loss if obesity is an issue.
Americans are in a weight epidemic, with more than 2/3 overweight or obese. Poor diet and lack of exercise contribute to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and many other conditions that increase the likelihood we will die at a younger age.
To combat these alarming statistics, we need to exercise daily, eat a balanced, healthy diet, and practice moderation.
Posted by Dr. Christina Gutierrez on July 14, 2006 01:17 AM
