Getting Healthy, Staying Healthy

Getting and staying healthy should be a top priority for everyone, whether you are a diabetic or not. Healthy eating habits  and fitness habits are important because they help us control our weight, blood pressure, blood sugar levels, cholesterol, and increase our overall fitness.  However, diet and exercise don’t make up the total picture.  There are other things we need to consider.

Smoking

It would be pretty hard to imagine anyone not knowing how dangerous smoking is as this has been heavily publicized for years.  However, do you know what these dangers are?  Do you know what the number one cause of death is among smokers?  If you said lung cancer or emphysema, then you’d be wrong.  While lung cancer, emphysema, and cancers of the throat and mouth are certainly more prevalent among smokers, they do not claim the most lives.  The leading cause of death among smokers is heart disease.

Smoking is very hard on the heart and accelerates the development of hardening of the arteries.  When cholesterol and fats deposit in the arteries it is known as Atherosclerosis which causes arteries to become narrow, blocked, and rigid.   Blood cots can form and cause serious consequences.  Smoking exacerbates this process.

The Six Major Factors for Coronary Heart Disease

There are six major contributing factors in the development of coronary heart disease.  They are:

• Cigarette smoking
• High Blood Pressure
• High Cholesterol
• Lack of Exercise
• Obesity
• Diabetes

Cigarette smoking by itself increases your risk of coronary heart disease.  However, if you combine it with any of the other factors, you greatly increase your risk.  If you are a diabetic you shouldn’t smoke, plain and simple. The good news is that you can control or modify these factors to decrease your risks for coronary heart disease.