Posted on 06/23/2022 7:49:21 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
Individuals with diabetes display a substantially increased risk of disease in left-sided heart valves compared to controls without diabetes. The statistical analyses also indicate that valvular heart disease can be prevented by lowering blood pressure and reducing other risk factors even more than current treatment targets.
Four heart valves serve to make the blood go in the right direction. Since the pressure is highest on the left side of the heart, valve disease most often affects these two valves.
Both individuals with type 1 and type 2 diabetes are at a higher risk of developing it and, for the latter, the risk of calcification in the aortic valve (aortic stenosis) is 1.62 times higher than for controls without diabetes.
"The lower risk of primary regurgitation, or leakage, in type 2 diabetes is also caused by the presumed process of hardening and calcification that's started by, for instance, high blood pressure, impaired blood-sugar metabolism, and factors linked to obesity. As we age, the hardening process in the heart occurs in all of us—even in individuals without diabetes—but we assume that diabetes accelerates it," says Aidin Rawshani, the study's lead author.
The study identifies blood sugar, blood pressure, blood lipids, obesity, and kidney function as specific factors affecting risks of left-sided heart-valve disease.
"Our results suggest that heart-valve disease risk could be reduced if the recommended treatment targets were lowered. But this finding must be interpreted with caution since it's no more than a statistical association," Rawshani says.
The study also showed that diabetics whose blood sugar, blood pressure, blood fats (lipids), body mass index (BMI), and kidney function (estimated glomerular filtration rate, eGFR) were within the therapeutic target range had a persistently high risk of hardening in left-sided valves, while their regurgitation risk of suction was low, compared with controls.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
Regardless, getting all diabetes numbers under good control is of paramount concern.
Any thoughts on the value of cinnamon to lower blood sugar levels? I’ve read studies by reputable organizations which say it helps; other studies say it doesn’t.
Posting to read any responses you get.
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I’d like to know that also. Hubby has T2.
For six months I’ve been watching my diet when my December glucose was 108. I brought it down to 104, but wish it had gone lower. Good news is that when I weighed in at the doc’s today I’d lost 12 pounds.
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The studies have been mixed. I used to take it, but the normal cinnamon used is not Ceylon cinnamon. Consequently, it has a strong blood thinning ability (from coumarin), which may not be commonly considered. It also has a lead concern. ConsumerLab says these varied by 10-fold over samples tested.
In sum, I’d only buy Ceylon and still be careful with that. Also, they say 120 mg of extract or 1,000 mg of actual powder, can be helpful for blood sugar reduction.
I’d encourage simply reducing simple sugars and using only complex carbs.
Thank you. I had pretty much decided to go that route, especially since I’m already on Eliquis and probably don’t need any more blood thinning.
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