Monday, May 5, 2014

Health Dangers for Women With Diabetes

Despite being at higher risk of certain diabetes complications, there's a lot women can do to prevent them.

"Keeping your weight down, exercising and improving your diet can make a huge difference," Dr. Wright says.

Here are the top 6 health problems women with diabetes face, along with doctor-recommended tips to improve or avoid them.

1. Heart disease
Women with diabetes have three times the risk of cardiovascular disease and heart attacks than those who don't have the condition, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI). Men with diabetes have a twofold risk.

In fact, deaths from cardiovascular diseases in women with diabetes have increased by 23% during the past 30 years, the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio reports. During the same period, the death rate from heart disease among non-diabetic women dropped by 27%.

Why? High blood glucose levels, which damage blood vessels over time, are a major culprit. Smoking, high cholesterol and high blood pressure further constrict the blood vessels in patients with diabetes, according to Harvard University's Joslin Diabetes Center.

Another reason could be a recently discovered gene variation, which increases the risk of heart disease in type 2 diabetics by one-third but doesn't increase risk in non-diabetics, according to an August 2013 study by Harvard School of Public Health, published in the journal JAMA. This finding may lead to new treatments for diabetic heart disease, the Harvard researchers say.