How Does Diabetes Lead To Heart Disease?

If you are a diabetic, then you should be cautious of heart diseases. People with diabetes are more prone to heart diseases when compared to the people without diabetes. Diabetes is one of the major risk factors for developing heart diseases.

Some statistics shows that about 68 percent of people with the age of 65 years or older who have diabetes tend to die of heart disease and about 16 percent of people die due to stroke. Having said that, diabetes is one of the seven preventable risk factors for developing many heart diseases, and can be managed with maintaining a proper level of blood glucose and blood cholesterol.

Heart disease:

Heart disease refers to a number of conditions which affects the heart and cause a drastic change in the normal functioning of heart.

Various types of heart diseases: Any change in the heart either it may be a structural change or a functional change leads to various types of heart disease.

·         High blood pressure (hypertension)

·         Angina

·         Coronary artery disease (Atherosclerosis)

·         Myocardial infarction (Heart attack)

·         Cardiac arrest

·         Congestive heart failure

Diabetes:

Diabetes mellitus is a cluster of metabolic conditions which is caused due to the increased amount of glucose in the blood (blood sugar), which may occur due to the decreased production of insulin or may be due to the resistance towards insulin.

Types of Diabetes:

·         Type 1 diabetes also known as insulin dependent diabetes mellitus

·         Type 2 diabetes also known as non insulin dependent diabetes mellitus

·         Prediabetes

·         Gestational diabetes

In Type 1 diabetes mellitus, the pancreas produces only a little amount of insulin or no insulin at all due to the destruction of beta cells.

In Type 2 diabetes mellitus, there may be a resistance towards the insulin, leading to reduced intake of glucose by the cells.

Prediabetes is a reversible diabetic condition which is caused due to the elevation of glucose levels in blood. It is also called as borderline diabetes.

Gestational diabetes is a condition due to increased glucose levels in blood during pregnancy. The condition usually disappears after the delivery.

Connection between Diabetes and Heart disease:

In a person with normal blood vessel, the flow of blood is continuous and smooth due to the presences of nitrous oxide (NO). The nitrous oxide in blood vessel prevents the cells from sticking to the walls of blood vessel.

In type 2 diabetes, due to insulin resistance, the  nitrous oxide mechanism gets lost. In diabetic condition, the high levels of glucose, triglycerides and fatty acids in blood lead to plaque formation. This formation of plaque is a major reason for causing coronary artery disease or arthrosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis, causes stiffening of blood vessels, increasing the force of blood flow on the arterial walls, which leads to hypertension. Hypertension is a major risk factor for other heart related diseases like damage of blood vessels, stroke and heart attack.

Tips for a diabetic patient to avoid heart diseases:

ü  Visit your physician regularly and get your blood glucose level and blood pressure levels checked.

ü  Try to maintain a normal blood glucose level.

ü  Maintain a normal blood pressure, the blood pressure shouldn’t exceed above 130/80 mmHg.

ü  Drinking alcohol worsens diabetes and also leads to various heart diseases.

ü  Say no to smoking.

ü  Have a diet rich in fibers, it helps in controlling the level of blood glucose.

ü  Stay away from foods high in calories and fats.

ü  Don’t consume sugary foods.

ü  Eat fish instead of red meat.

ü  Make a habit of meditating daily.

ü  Have a walk and perform all kind of physical activities which are good for health.

ü  If you are overweight, try to lose weight and maintain a healthy BMI (Body mass index).

ü  Limit the intake of salt, and consume it as recommended by your physician.

Importance Of Blood Donation

Every year our nation requires about 5 Crore units of blood, out of which only a meager 2.5 Crore units of blood are available.

Adults have around 10 pints of blood in their body. 1 pint is given during a donation. 1 pint of blood can save up to 3 lives.

The procedure involved:

Blood donation centers or donation camps are organized to get blood for community use. Donation can be of the whole blood or certain components of blood called apheresis. These centers known as blood banks not just collect blood but also participate in procedures that follow donation like processing, screening and storing. Potential blood donors are screened for blood borne diseases like HIV and Viral Hepatitis. They have to undergo a short physical examination to rule out any health issues to the donor. Blood donation is an absolutely safe process. Depending on the quantity and components of blood drawn, a donor can donate blood again within 8 weeks. Most of the blood components have an extremely short shelf life and maintaining a constant supply is challenging.

In general, each unit of blood drawn contains 450 ml of blood, which the body replaces within 24 hours. So, giving blood is not harmful for the body. There are innumerable benefits of blood donation, for both the community and the donor.

Some of the key benefits are:

1. One donation i.e. 450 ml of whole blood can be centrifuged to separate its components. Each donation can help save up to three lives! Millions of individuals require blood donations daily to save their lives.

2. It is important to know that human blood cannot be manufactured. Humans are the only source of blood. More than 1 million new people are diagnosed with cancer each year. Many of them will need blood, sometimes daily, during their chemotherapy treatment.
3. Certain blood groups like O- are extremely rare. Arranging them in emergency can be a difficult task. Timely donation and preservation of blood of these blood groups can help save many lives. This blood group is also needed for emergency transfusions when the blood group is not known or for neonatal transfusions. Since, it has no antigen of its own, it can be safely transfused to any recipient.
4. In patients prone to iron overload, blood donation can help preventing accumulation of iron in toxic quantities. Thus, it helps to control hemochromatosis and reduce the risk of damage to liver and kidneys.
5. A broad study conducted in 2012, proved that regular blood donation helps in reducing blood pressure, serum glucose, glycosylated Haemoglobin and heart rate in metabolic syndrome patients. It also helps in improving lipid profile.
6. Many countries like USA pay their donors for blood donation and plasmaphoresis. It provides an added source of income for those who can donate blood. In other countries, donors are given certain incentives like paid working days off. These incentives often help to maintain a steady stream of donors.
7. Lower cancer risk: By donating blood you are reducing your iron excess stores. In the process you lower your risk of cancer development.
8. Weight loss: Regular blood donation can help donors to lose weight. It might come as a boon to obese individuals who are at a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases and other health disorders.
9. Promotes good health: Post blood donation, the body works vigorously to replenish the lost blood. It stimulates formation of new blood cells to replace the older ones. This turnover then helps in maintaining a good health.

Blood donation has many health benefits apart from the psychological satisfaction of saving lives. It is always good to plan out your donation well in advance after consulting your physician about any health issues. Keep yourself hydrated on the day of donation and make sure to inform the blood banks about any medications you are taking.

How To Make The Bones Strong And Healthy

Our bones and joints make the basic support system of the body. They allow movement by anchoring all the muscles of the body. It is a major reservoir of crucial minerals that can be used by the body during stressful periods. So, it goes without saying that bone care is significant for the body. Sports medicine, now an emerging branch of medicine, deals with injuries in sports personalities and revolves around the care of the joints.

At the age of 30 years, the body attains its peak bone mass. Till this age, the bone formation exceeds the bone breakdown. Thereafter, the reverse remodeling of bones begins and the bone catabolism exceeds the anabolism. During periods of formation and breakdown, the bones are riddled with a number of diseases. During the younger ages bone tumors and rickets are common, while on the other hand after 30s, problems like osteoporosis, osteopetrosis and osteomalacia take precedence over other bone diseases. These ailing bones are frail and highly liable to fractures and damage.

13 ways to build healthy and strong bones:

1. Boost your calcium consumption: Not just bone, this mineral is required for appropriate muscle functioning, nerve signaling, hormone secretion and maintaining blood pressure. Yogurt, cheese, dairy products and green vegetables are a major source of calcium. If your diet is insufficient to meet the calcium requirements, go in for calcium supplementation.

2. Add in Vitamin D: Calcium cannot be absorbed and used effectively without this wonder vitamin. The two work as a team to help in bone mineralization. Shrimps, fortified foods, sardines and eggs are good sources of Vitamin D.Spend some time out basking in the sun. Sun exposure of only 10-15 minutes, especially in tropical countries boosts up the     natural Vitamin D synthesis.

3. Don’t forget Vitamin K: It assists the body to make new proteins for improving bone density. It has been shown to reduce calcium excretion from the body. A recent study shows that vitamin K can help astronauts regain the lost bone density faster than calcium or Vitamin D.

4. Pump up your potassium levels: It has no direct effect on the bone density. But it does neutralize acids that have a negative effect of body’s calcium stores. Yogurt, avocadoes, fish and mushrooms, all provide sufficient potassium.

5. Exercise your way to fitness: Exercising regularly keeps a good deal of diseases away. Bone fitness comes in with the package. Weight-bearing exercises like running, jogging and jumping are the best for bones. Add in a few resistance-training exercises like picking weights to have improved bone strength and better balance.

6. Don’t go easy on Vitamins: Vitamin B12 is essential for the functioning of osteoblasts. These cells are responsible for new bone formation when the old bone is destroyed i.e. replenishment of bones. Enough vitamin B12 thus helps to keep the bones replenished and strong.On the other hand, vitamin E can decrease the bone mass and reduce new bone formation.

7. Caffeine and its harms: Too much caffeine in the system interferes with calcium absorption and accelerates bone loss by interacting negatively with Vitamin D. So, if you are a java lover, make sure to increase your calcium intake relatively.

8. Cool it on the booze and soda: While moderate quantities of alcohol consumption can slow bone loss, high quantities can hasten the same process. Similarly, cola consumption has been found to be associated with lower bone density.

9. Quit smoking: You can definitely add better bone health to your list of reasons to lose the cigarettes. It can prevent effective calcium absorption from the diet.

10. Avoid highly processed foods: Processing strips away the nutritional value of food materials, making them devoid of minerals and vitamins.

11. Review your medications: Some medicines like corticosteroids, drugs used in neoadjuvant chemotherapy for treating cancers and anti-epileptic drugs like phenytoin have been shown to have damaging effects on the bone. Moreover, try treatments specifically aimed at treating frail bones like bisphosphonates.

12. Know your family history: People with a positive family history of osteoporosis are more likely to develop the disease at earlier stages of life.

13. Check your Hormones: Too much of thyroid can lead to rapid bone dissolution and loss. Low estrogen levels in women post menopause, can significantly increase the risk of osteoporosis.

Supplementing the bones through a healthy diet and adequate exercise is crucial to acquire bone strength during the earlier years of life and maintaining the healthy state of bones in adulthood. Despite that, bone health goes beyond nutrition and healthy diets. Make sure to follow these simple steps, so that your bones remain strong and healthy as you age. Develop a routine, start slowly and stay with it.