Why it is important to control blood sugar if you are diabetic

If you have diabetes, the consequences of not following a healthy eating plan and healthy lifestyle can be very serious. For example, a high level of insulin in the blood, a weakened ability to turn blood sugar into energy, and accumulated upper body fat work together to lower your HDL (good cholesterol). When you have less HDL, this means you have a higher risk for heart disease.

Also, diabetics more often than others develop arteriosclerosis even at a younger age. Usually they have high level of triglyceride, which is considered as an independent risk factor for heart attack.

Actually, heart disease is found in proportion to insulin levels. Many people’s bodies with insulin resistance (a condition when the cells are resistant to using insulin) make this hormone in abundance. These are mostly people with type II diabetes. Their pancreas keeps getting the message (because of the insulin resistance) that there is not enough insulin and keeps continuing to produce it. Their bodies try by making more and more insulin to force the sugar from the blood to enter into the cells. This usually happens in response to sugar and carbohydrate intake. This excess insulin is the cause of a poor cholesterol ratio. Such a person will have high LDL (bad cholesterol) and low HDL (good cholesterol). High levels of circulating insulin (which is because of the insulin resistance unable to enter the tissues) can damage blood vessel walls. Certainly insulin resistance in its turn will contribute to diabetes. So, a high blood insulin level stimulates the liver to produce more cholesterol, and type II diabetes is a strong factor for heart disease.