An article reporting findings of the CACTI study caught my eye because I participated in this study for about seven years. CACTI stands for Coronary Artery Calcification in Type I (sic) diabetes. The article reports that adults with type 1 diabetes are likely to experience coronary artery calicification, and therefore, negative outcomes related to coronary artery disease, despite managing the ABCs of diabetes. They also mention that a coronary artery calcification (CAC) test is relatively inexpensive (I thought it was around $400, but the article says $100), and that people with type 1 diabetes should have it done before the age of 30 and then every five years to monitor.
Any time I hear/read that something negative happens “despite managing diabetes,” I get all tensed up. What do you mean; we do all this work and bad things still happen? That makes no sense. There’s got to be a better answer. Personally, I always go back to positive attitude, which I truly believe is just as (if not more) important as A1C, blood pressure and cholesterol (the ABCs of management that the article refers to). But what else can we do?
I have been taking omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) for years. I take these huge, smelly capsules daily to protect my heart. I also take a supplement that is full of antioxidants – it’s basically a bunch of berries in a capsule (no joke). I feel I’m helping myself out by taking these, even though I’m not a supplement junkie. Oh, and I also take vitamin D. When I read that low vitamin D level is a risk factor for progressive coronary artery calcification, I was relieved that I already take vitamin D! Finally, I walk. Walking is a great, relatively low-impact physical activity that keeps my blood circulating through my body. It helps my blood pressure, cholesterol, stress level, blood glucose, weight, and most of all, it helps keep my attitude positive!
What do you do to protect your heart?