Alert issued from arteries concerning increased susceptibility to diabetes

Arterial Firmness and Diabetes Risk: A Hidden Predictor

Ever heard your doc talk about "arterial firmness"? It's simply a fancy term for how flexible or rigid your arteries are. And guess what? It plays a crucial role in maintaining healthy blood pressure and fighting off severe health issues like heart attacks, strokes, and even Alzheimer's disease.

Now, scientists are probing whether arterial firmness might indicate another common health condition - diabetes.

Arterial Stiffness: A Red Flag for Diabetes

Research has already shown that high blood pressure (or hypertension) is connected with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. Moreover, increased arterial stiffness, which often appears in people with hypertension, is also associated with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

So, researchers wanted to determine which factor - blood pressure or arterial stiffness - is a more accurate predictor of future type 2 diabetes risk. Early intervention is key for slowing down or preventing the condition's onset, after all.

Guess what they found? Their results might cause doctors to change the way they identify diabetes-prone individuals...

Healthy Heart, Healthier Living

Stay heart-healthy to reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes! Follow the American Heart Association's advice - "Life's Essential 8" - for a healthier lifestyle!

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Dr. Anxin Wang, the study's senior author, and team, delved deep into health data from over 11,000 participants, aged 18 to 98 years, in the Kailuan study, an ongoing research project in Tangshan, China. The study included measurements of artery wall stiffness, calculated by using a brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (PWV), a standard method for measuring blood vessel stiffness.

The researchers grouped the participants into four categories:

Those with ideal arterial function and normal blood pressure (considered as the ideal group)
Those with normal blood pressure but stiffer arteries
Those with high blood pressure and normal artery stiffness
Those with high blood pressure and stiffer arteries

The Deadly Duo Strikes Again

Here's how the results panned out:

Compared to the ideal group:

Individuals with both high blood pressure and increased arterial stiffness had the highest risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Those with normal blood pressure and stiffer arteries also had a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to the ideal group.
People with high blood pressure and normal artery stiffness had the lowest risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Does that surprise you? You're not alone...

"We were shocked to discover that increased arterial stiffness ups the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, regardless of whether someone has high blood pressure or not," Wang said. "These findings strongly suggest that measuring arterial stiffness could be an excellent way of identifying individuals who are at higher risk of Type 2 diabetes."

One thing to note is that the study defined hypertension as a blood pressure of 140 mm Hg/90 mm Hg or greater, according to Chinese and international standards. In the U.S., the American Heart Association considers hypertension to be blood pressure of 130 mm Hg/80 mm Hg or more.

The findings revealed that the dangerous combination of high blood pressure and increased arterial stiffness was more likely to occur in:

Men
Older adults
Heavier individuals
Those with a higher body mass index
People who smoked and drank alcohol

Need More Bad News? Those with increased arterial stiffness also had higher fasting blood glucose and cholesterol levels compared to participants without it.

"These findings offer new insights into preventing Type 2 diabetes, indicating that early detection and treatment for high blood pressure and arterial stiffness may help decrease the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes," Wang says.

Healthy Heart, Healthier Living

Stay heart-healthy to reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes! Follow the American Heart Association's advice - "Life's Essential 8" - for a healthier lifestyle!

"SPONSORED"

Keeping Arteries Young

The American Heart Association recommends several healthy lifestyle choices to help you reduce your diabetes risk by keeping your heart healthy. They call it "Life's Essential 8" - check out the link and start building a healthier you!

But how can you keep your arteries flexible and youthful? Here is one easy step to start right away...

Increase your vitamin K2 intake. Vitamin K2 has been found to support the health of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) in the walls of your arteries. These cells are critical in keeping our arteries young and flexible. Unfortunately, as we age, these cells become less efficient, contributing to the hardening and stiffening of arteries.

In one study, vitamin K2 stopped the death (or apoptosis) of VSMC and reduced changes in the VSMC phenotype.

Another study indicates that increased vitamin K2 may help reduce arterial stiffness, slow the progression of vascular and valvular calcification, lower the incidence of diabetes and coronary artery disease, and decrease deaths from cardiovascular causes.

Vitamin K2 deficiency is common among the U.S. population, and some experts believe that the recommended intake may not be optimal. So adding foods with vitamin K2 will help boost your levels.

Get your vitamin K2 from animal sources like beef, bison, goose, dairy products, chicken, and organ meats like liver. A specific form of vitamin K2 known as MK7 is especially beneficial for improving arterial elasticity. A great source of MK7 is natto, a Japanese dish made of fermented soybeans.

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Editor's Note

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"Sources:

Arterial Stiffness Predicts Type 2 Diabetes Risk Better than BP and Common Risk Factors - American Heart Association
Vitamin K2: A Neglected Player in Cardiovascular Health - A Narrative Review - openheart
Vitamin K2: Vital for Health and Wellbeing - Kappa Bioscience

[1]: High non-obese young adult risk for diabetes relates to arterial stiffness, not prevalent risk factors. (2014, July 30). Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs12011-014-0462-8[2]: Hypertension, arterial stiffness, and carotid intima-media thickness as predictors of incident type 2 diabetes: The ARIC study. (2010, November 08). Retrieved from https://academic.oup.com/ajh/article/157/5/607/1147296[3]: Arterial Stiffness and Type 2 Diabetes: Analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2009-2010. (2018, February 13). Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6100993/[4]: The interaction between blood pressure and arterial stiffness in predicting type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. (2018, July 17). Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6242892/

A recent study suggests that arterial stiffness, a factor linked to hypertension and associated with insulin resistance, could be a stronger predictor of future type 2 diabetes risk than high blood pressure.
The results of this study indicate that measuring arterial stiffness could aid doctors in identifying individuals with a higher risk of developing diabetes, regardless of their blood pressure level.
To reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, it's essential to follow a heart-healthy lifestyle, which includes maintaining cardiovascular health, fitness and exercise, proper nutrition, and addressing medical-conditions such as hypertension and chronic diseases like heart diseases and diabetes.
Vitamin K2, which supports the health of vascular smooth muscle cells in the arteries and improves arterial elasticity, may also contribute to reducing the risk of diabetes through its effects on maintaining arterial youthfulness and flexibility.