In diabetes, even if there is no high cholesterol, the risk of having cardiovascular problems like heart attack or stroke is greater because the blood vessels become more fragile and easily rupture. Therefore, in addition to controlling blood sugar levels, cholesterol and triglycerides should also be controlled at all times.
For this, in the diet for diabetes, avoiding too fatty foods such as sausages or fried foods, is as important as reducing the intake of very sweet foods, even if cholesterol levels are acceptable in the blood test.
See how the diet in diabetes should be.
How High Cholesterol Affects Diabetic's Health
High cholesterol causes an accumulation of fat plaques in the walls of the veins, which hinders the passage of blood and impairs circulation. This, coupled with a high blood sugar level that is natural in diabetes, can lead to very serious complications such as heart attack or stroke, for example.
In addition, poor circulation can cause itching, especially in the legs, causing wounds that do not heal easily and which can become infected due to excess blood sugar, which facilitates the development of bacteria.
Why Diabetic Cardiovascular Disease Comes More
Insulin resistance, which occurs naturally in cases of diabetes, leads to an increase in triglycerides and cholesterol, so even if you do not have high cholesterol, triglycerides increase your risk of cardiovascular disease.
So, some of the most common cardiovascular diseases in diabetics are:
| Disease | Which is: |
| Hypertension | Constant increase in blood pressure, above 140x90 mmHg. |
| Deep vein thrombosis | Clots emerge in the veins of the legs, facilitating the accumulation of blood. |
| Dyslipidemia | Increase in "bad" cholesterol and decrease in "good" cholesterol. |
| Poor circulation | Decreased blood return to the heart, which causes tingling in the hands and feet. |
| Atherosclerosis | Formation of fat plaques on the walls of blood vessels. |
Thus, it is very important to control both blood sugar and fat levels to reduce the chances of developing a serious cardiovascular disease. Watch this video on keeping cholesterol levels under control:
