How does maintaining healthy cholesterol levels help people with diabetes stay healthy?
Several things, including having diabetes, can make your blood cholesterol level too high. When cholesterol is too high, the insides of large blood vessels become narrowed, even clogged, which can lead to heart disease and stroke, the biggest health problems for people with diabetes. Maintaining normal cholesterol levels will help prevent these diseases, and can help prevent circulation problems, also an issue for people with diabetes. Have your cholesterol checked at least once a year. Total cholesterol should be under 200; LDL (bad cholesterol) should be under 100; HDL (good cholesterol) should be above 40 in men and above 50 in women; and triglycerides should be under 150. Healthy eating, medications, and physical activity can help you reach your cholesterol targets. Keeping cholesterol levels under control can reduce the risk of cardiovascular complications of diabetes by 20% to 50%.
