4 Ways Diabetes Affect Women's Overall Health

Diabetes is one of those chronic diseases which have high prevalence in countries around the world. The condition involves elevated blood sugar levels which can harm vital parts of the body over time. Diabetes can lead to serious health complications such as heart attacks, kidney failure, blindness and stroke. Today, diabetes has emerged as a major concern as it can affect anyone from men and women to children and older adults. To shed some light on how diabetes can affect women, nutritionist Lovneet Batra, in her Instagram Stories, shares a few facts about the disease.

The effect of diabetes on women's health

1. According to the nutritionist, women with diabetes who are below the age of 50 are at a higher risk of suffering heart attacks and strokes. She says that when it comes to women, diabetes increases the risk of heart attack by about four times while the risk factor increases by two times in men. Lovneet Batra writes that roughly two-thirds of women suffering from diabetes die due to a cardiovascular disease. In addition, women with diabetes die at a younger age than those who don't have excessive blood sugar level.

2. It has been seen that women with diabetes also have lower levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDL), which is basically good cholesterol. Such women have high level of triglycerides or fat in their blood, the nutritionist adds.

3. Diabetes has been often associated with an increased risk of heart diseases. As per the nutritionist, the disease makes women more prone to heart ailments after menopause. This is because diabetes "cancels the protective effects of estrogen on a woman's heart before menopause," states the nutritionist. Other than this, diabetes can also result in depression, kidney disease, and blindness in women.

4. Women with diabetes tend to experience irregular periods, especially when their blood glucose is not controlled. Urinary tract infections and vaginal yeast infections have also been found to be common in women suffering from the chronic disease.

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