Heart disease remains a leading cause of death around the world. And diabetes is one of the risk factors for heart disease. Diabetes is a growing global health concern, with more than 422 million people living with this metabolic disorder — the majority of those with Type 2 diabetes.
Dr. Gosia Wamil, a cardiologist at Mayo Clinic Healthcare in London, has long been researching the link between diabetes and heart disease. She says, for people with diabetes, there are new treatment strategies.
Through her research on diabetes and heart disease, Dr. Wamil says she learned a lot about "the role of chronic inflammation and insulin resistance as a mechanism that starts the process of atherosclerosis."
And atherosclerosis can lead to coronary artery disease and heart attack.
That's where diet and exercise can help.
"We have evidence and scientific data that support that weight reduction, improvement in blood pressure are very important strategies to reduce the risk of diabetes and, therefore, complications of diabetes and heart diseases," says Dr. Wamil.
New treatments and therapies are also available.
"We have, for the first time, developed glucose-lowering treatments that at the same time address the problem, the link between their diabetes and heart diseases," Dr. Wamil says.
