BSD

Revised from an article by Jacqueline Stenson

Heart risks often ignored in those with diabetes

This article was printed quite a few years ago.  However, unfortunately, these issues have barely improved.  In addition to heart risks we need to focus on elevated blood pressure, cholesterol, and a slew of additional health risks that are terribly out of control in many patients.

Those with diabetes are as much as four times more likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke than other Americans, new research shows that they are far less likely to have proper treatment for two major cardiovascular risk factors &mdash high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol, and more&hellip

                   &ldquoIT&rsquoS A HUGE, huge problem,&rdquo said Dr. John Buse, director of the Diabetes Care Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Atlanta, and chairman of a new American Diabetes Association ADA initiative aimed at reducing complications and deaths from heart disease

       &ldquoThe hope is that ... we can improve patient and physician awareness of the link between diabetes and cardiovascular disease and improve the outcomes.

       Over the last three decades, deaths from cardiovascular disease have declined by 36 percent among non-diabetic men, compared with just 13 percent among diabetic men, said Dr. Frank Vinicor, director of the diabetes program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.                          The situation is even more severe in women. Whereas deaths have dropped 27 percent in non-diabetic females, he said, they have increased 23 percent among diabetic women.

       A big part of the problem is that modifiable risk factors, such as cholesterol and blood pressure, are not looked at closely enough in this population, especially among females, speakers said.

       Busy doctors who are mostly focused on a patient&rsquos blood sugar levels simply may not take the time to also examine cardiovascular risk factors.  Patients &mdash who are already testing their blood sugar repeatedly and probably taking multiple medications each day &mdash are not readily inclined to take even more medicine.

DIABETES CASES SOARING!!

       The problem may only get worse. Diabetes afflicts more than 20 million Americans, and diagnoses are on the rise.

       The most common form of the condition, known as type 2 diabetes, results when the body does not make enough, or fails to properly use, the hormone insulin, which is necessary for cells to convert glucose into energy. Cases of type 2 diabetes are soaring because of increasing obesity and sedentary lifestyles &mdash both of which are also risk factors for heart disease.

       Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune condition that generally develops in childhood, and makes up 5 percent to 10 percent of cases. People with type 1 diabetes do not produce insulin and must take insulin therapy to survive.

                                                     &ldquoWhat we found was quite disturbing,&rdquo said Brian Nightengale, a researcher at Applied Health Outcomes, an independent research firm in Tampa, Fla. &ldquoIn people with both high blood pressure and diabetes, four out of five had their blood pressure uncontrolled.&rdquo

       Another new study involving 368 patients specifically with type 1 diabetes showed only small improvements in treatments for hypertension and high cholesterol over a 10-year period.

                                           While no patients with high cholesterol had it treated in the late 1980s, 7 percent did in the late 1990s. And 38 percent had their blood pressure controlled in the &rsquo80s, compared with just about half that number in the &rsquo90s

              The ADA&rsquos new campaign urges patients to learn about and control the ABCs of diabetes.

     1. Using Hemoglobin A1c as a determining factor for diabetes diagnoses.

 2. The same for blood pressure

The same for cholesterol readings&mdashthe lower the better! 3

       A third study presented at the meeting suggested that proper regulation of blood glucose in type 1 diabetics might help stave off heart disease.

       High levels of glucose tend to make blood stickier, possibly contributing to hardening of the arteries.

Wise nutrition choices are vital in helping weight loss.

Increasing vegetable intake is primary.

Soups can play many roles, from comfort and sick-day food to meals-on-the-run and even the first of many courses in a gourmet meal. Depending on how you use it, soup can help you work toward your health goals or make them harder to achieve. Used well, soup can help you control your weight, lower your risk of cancer and heart disease, and supply the nutrients you need for overall health and well-being.

       IN STUDIES by Barbara Rolls, at Pennsylvania State University, people were given the same foods in either the form of a casserole or a soup. When these dishes were served as a first course before lunch, people consumed about 27 percent fewer calories at lunch after a soup than after a casserole. They felt more satisfied and later were able to curb snacking. They felt less of a need to eat more at dinner. Rolls suggests that eating soup as a first course or as a main meal can help with weight loss in several ways, by filling the stomach and satisfying our sensory desire to savor and enjoy food.

       Having broccoli-cheese soup every day, however, is unlikely to promote a healthy weight. Soups that can help control weight contain a large volume of relatively low-calorie food. Broth- and tomato-based soups like chicken, onion, and vegetable and fall into this category. Soups prepared with cheese, or even reduced-fat 2 percent milk really do not fit the bill.

         Weight control is not the only health challenge that can be helped with wise choices in soups. Although Americans have been encouraged for years to increase fruit and vegetable consumption, national surveys show relatively small gains.

Soup is an ideal medium for getting one or more extra vegetable servings. The problem is that many commercial &ldquovegetable&rdquo soups contain less than half a serving of vegetables. If you like the convenience of commercial soup, use it as a base and add vegetables leftover from a previous meal, or pre-chopped from the freezer or a salad bar. Be daring by adding a half to one cup of vegetables per person to the soup as it warms. If the soup is too thick for your taste, thin it out with a little water or tomato-vegetable juice, or add a bit of instant low-sodium bouillon, if desired, for a richer flavor.

                               One problem is that one cup of many commercial broth- or tomato-based soups contains 800 to 1000 milligrams of sodium, a third or more of recommended sodium limits for an entire day. If you consume high-sodium soups only occasionally, you may not have a problem, since it is the total sodium for the day that matters. However, if the amount could push you to unhealthy sodium levels, try reduced-sodium soups. Some are quite tasty on their own, but others might need a quick addition of pepper, herbs, or other seasonings.                                   

                               If you are using soup as a main dish, remember that to meet nutritional needs and keep hunger satisfied, the meal should include a good source of protein. Many commercial soups do not contain a meal&rsquos worth, so consider shredded chicken, turkey etc..

As an important note&mdashit is widely accepted that good old-fashioned chicken soup is considered as a natural antibiotic, and helpful in curing the common cold.  Let us not forget how comforting and terrifically satisfying a bowl of CHICKEN SOUP is-A COMFORT TO THE SOUL!!!!!!!!

AND A VERY IMPORTANT STAPLE IN PASSOVER EATING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Copyright © Jewish Diabetes Association.  Last updated March 2026.  We appreciate being notified when our articles are used.