Managing diabetes is about protecting blood vessels. High blood glucose (sugar) over time can lead to damage in both large (macro) and small (micro) vessels in our bodies. The large vessels feed the heart and brain with oxygen, and we can’t live without oxygen or without healthy vessels.
We have known for a long time that diabetes – high blood glucose – is a risk factor for heart disease, and now there is evidence that low blood glucose (hypoglycemia) may also lead to heart disease. This is even more support for “closing the gap” – in other words, avoiding blood glucose levels that are too high or too low.
How do we deal with news like this? We can use the many tools available to keep blood glucose levels in a healthy range: healthy food choices, exercise, medications, insulin pumps, continuous glucose monitors, blood glucose monitoring, and visits to diabetes health professionals.
For me, it’s a matter of really being in tune with my body, and finding out what works for me. When I change my exercise habits, or try new foods, it takes some work (and time!) to figure out how to keep my blood glucose level in my target range. And doing the work always pays off eventually.
So rather than reacting to a message like this (hypoglycemia can cause heart disease) with fear, frustration, or even anger (or rather, after my initial reaction of fear, frustration and even anger), I’m going to continue to work on taking good care of myself. I’m going to focus on keeping my blood glucose in a healthy range most of the time in order to have healthy blood vessels.