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The ABC's of Diabetes

A is for A1C. A1C is a blood test done by your doctor that measures the big picture of blood sugar control over the last 2-3 months. It is used along with your daily blood sugar self-testing to give you and your doctor information on how well your blood sugar has been controlled. The A1C should be measured every 2-4 months.

If your A1C is greater than 7% it is higher than recommended by the American Diabetes Association. High blood sugar can damage cells and increase your risk of heart disease, stroke, sexual dysfunction, kidney, eye, and nerve damage as well as early death.

B is for blood pressure. High blood pressure means your blood is pushing too hard against your blood vessel walls. High blood pressure damages the lining of blood vessels and increases your risk or heart disease, strokes, and kidney damage. High blood pressure is extremely dangerous if you also have diabetes. It is recommended that if you have diabetes your blood pressure should be less than 130/80.

C is for cholesterol. High cholesterol increases your risk of heart disease and strokes. There are 3 types of cholesterol-HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol), LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol), and triglycerides (blood fats).

These are the recommended goals for cholesterol.

HDL cholesterol >50
LDL cholesterol <100 (close to 70 is preferred)
Triglycerides <150.

D is for don’t smoke. Smoking is extremely dangerous especially if you have diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol.

E is for regular exercise. You need to exercise every day, every little bit counts- start today with 10 minutes. Regular exercise helps control diabetes, high blood pressure, and cholesterol.