November is National Diabetes Month!
In partnership with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), this year’s focus is on the link between diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Adults with diabetes tend to develop heart disease at a younger age and are nearly twice as likely to die from heart disease or stroke as people without diabetes. This is because over time, high blood glucose from diabetes can damage your blood vessels and the nerves that control your heart. The good news is that the steps you take to manage your diabetes can also help lower your chances of having heart disease or a stroke. This National Diabetes Month, take steps to reduce your risk:
- Reduce/quit smoking or using other tobacco products. Learn more about the risks associated with smoking.
- Manage your A1C, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels.
- Develop and maintain healthy lifestyle habits. Follow your healthy eating plan and make physical activity part of your routine.
- Learn ways to manage stress.
- Take medicines as prescribed by your doctor.
Prediabetes means a person’s blood glucose (sugar) level is higher than normal, but not high enough yet for a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. If left untreated, prediabetes can progress into type 2 diabetes. And if 1 in 3 American adults has prediabetes, that means it could be you, your favorite sibling, or your other sibling. Or you, your barber, your barber’s barber. Or you—well, you get the picture. It’s time to take the risk test to know where you stand.
Visit DoIHavePrediabetes.org to learn about your risk and find a program to help reverse prediabetes.
For more information or to speak with a Public Health Nurse, please contact the East Hartford Health Department at (860) 291-7325.