Citizens Memorial Hospital | Vitality | Winter 2019

citizensmemorial.com 9 Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet that includes plenty of fruits and vegetables. Exercise regularly. Walking is one way to be active, and it’s simple to get started. Reach or maintain a healthy weight. Quit smoking, if you do smoke. Keep your blood sugar, blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels under control by making healthy lifestyle changes and taking medications, if prescribed. Have your levels checked as often as your health care team suggests. Sources: American Diabetes Association; American Heart Association COMMUNITY TAGLINE HERE DIABETES Put some heart into your diabetes care Our dietitians are experts at helping people with diabetes eat a heart-friendly diet.To make an appointment with a dietitian, call CMH Diabetes Education at 417-328-7957 . When it comes to diabetes complications, at least one serious risk seems to take a lot of people by surprise: Many aren’t aware that diabetes just about doubles their chances of developing heart problems or having a stroke. The strong connection between diabetes and cardiovascular disease (heart and blood vessel problems) exists for several reasons. One is that, over time, high blood sugar levels from diabetes can damage blood vessels. This damage contributes to hardening of the arteries, which may lead to a stroke or heart attack. In addition, many people who have diabetes also have other conditions that raise the risk of heart disease and stroke, like high blood pressure or abnormal cholesterol levels. YOU’VE GOT THIS! It can be frustrating and maybe even a little frightening to learn that diabetes puts you at significantly higher risk for cardiovascular problems. But know this: There are plenty of things you can do to help protect your heart and blood vessels. Start by asking your health care team what changes they specifically recommend for you. Among other things, they will likely want you to: