Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in people with diabetes. In those with type 1 diabetes as young as 20-39 years old, the risk of dying from a cardiovascular or cerebrovascular event is five times higher than those without diabetes. This population group benefits more from exercise than an average person does.



Type 1 diabetics who exercise regularly reduces his/her risk for cardiovascular disease -according to a new study published in the August edition of Diabetes Care.

Researchers in Austria and Germany studied more than 23,000 youngsters between the ages of 3 and 18, and found that the more physically active youngsters were less at risk for high diastolic blood pressure and lipid profiles, and had lower blood glucose levels.

They specifically found that the more the youngsters physically exercised, their triglycerides and high cholesterol decreased from 41.2 percent for youngsters who did not exercise, to 36 percent to those who exercised once or twice a week. Additionally, it was found that their high cholesterol and triglycerides fell to 34.4 percent for those who have physically exercised three or more times weekly.

Physical exercise did not include school sports; it included regularly exercising for a period of 30 minutes per day.

30 minutes of daily exercise. Keep that in mind.

Also, there is a Canadian study that included the findings from death records of more than nine million adults offers somewhat grim news: a Type 2 diabetic may experience cardiovascular problems 15 years sooner than a non-diabetic.

The results were broken down into expected risks for different genders and age groups. For instance, women with Type 2 diabetes are considered to be a moderate risk for cardiovascular disease by the age of 46, compared to the age of 62 for non-diabetic women. Complete results are here.

While the study is interesting and improving your cardiovascular health is always recommended, panic is not recommended. After all, these results are from death records, not living diabetics. Perhaps those people did not treat their diabetes properly, or did not follow healthy eating and exercise patterns. With the determination to be healthy, there is no reason to believe you can't live a long, healthy, happy life.

Another is that of the connection of obesity to diabetes. There is cross-treatment of drugs for obesity and diabetes, which is nothing new, and researchers are excited about another find. The new drug is designed to help reduce obesity in patients, which in turn may now seem to help stave off heart problems in Type 2 diabetics.