How diabetes affects your heart

Today, we are offcially launching Indonesia’s Health and Wellness show, featuring Dr. Kumara Gurupparan Ganesan, Consultant Cardiologist at Institut Jantung Negara, on the topic of how diabetes affects your heart.

Diabetes and cardiovascular disease go hand in hand. Blood sugar levels that are too high can cause damage to both major and small blood vessels throughout the body. When blood arteries are unhealthy, oxygen in the blood has a much harder time getting where it needs to go. However, according to physicians, high blood sugar levels are not the only cause of cardiovascular problems.

Around 90 percent of diabetics share significant risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol levels, and obesity. Smoking and a lack of physical activity are two more factors that can lead to cardiovascular disease.