Part 1 of a series on a healthy heart.

It's true—diabetes and heart disease often go hand-in-hand. But it's also true that they don't have to. There are many things you can do to protect your heart. But before that, let's start by understanding 3 reasons people with diabetes are at higher risk.

• High blood sugar can damage blood vessels throughout the body.¹ The vessel walls thicken and become less elastic. 
• At the same time, high levels of cholesterol and triglycerides can further damage blood vessels. People with type 2 diabetes often have higher levels of triglycerides and lower levels of "good" HDL cholesterol than people without diabetes.¹ 
• High blood pressure, which affects more than 2/3 of adults with diabetes, can also damage the blood vessels.² 

All of these factors force the heart to work harder, which can lead to heart disease, heart attack or stroke, whether you're a woman or man, or you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes.^1,2

But wait—there's good news

Taking good care of yourself—the way you deserve—can seriously reduce your risk of complications. Intensive blood sugar management, for example, can reduce your risk or heart attack or stoke by an amazing 57%. Controlling high blood pressure and LDL cholesterol knocks your risk down even more.²

Throughout this 6-message series on heart health (in time for Valentine's Day) we'll talk about some of the things you can do to protect your pump. (Not your insulin pump—the other one.)

You can also check out Mike Durbin's My Diabetic Heart site, where he talks about being diagnosed with diabetes and heart disease at the same time, and the challenges of managing both. 

Until then, think about how you could be taking better care of your heart. Eat a low-fat, low-salt dinner (like these ideas from Eating Well) and go for a leisurely walk. It'll help you feel good now and in the future. 

_{¹American Diabetes Association. Diabetes and cardiovascular disease review. Available at: http://www.diabetes.org/assets/pdfs/adacardioreview3.pdf. Accessed October 17, 2011.}

_{²Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National diabetes fact sheet, 2011. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/pdf/ndfs_2011.pdf. Accessed October 17, 2011.}