Twin Study: Type 2 Diabetes Key Element in Heart Disease

A study team found that Type 2 Diabetes was a more significant factor in contracting heart disease than age, education, sex, body mass index, smoking, even genetics and early life experiences.

Researchers from Tianjin Medical University in China studied more than 41,000 twins who were free from heart disease and at least 40 years old for about 16 years. During the study period, about 22 percent of the study participants developed heart disease. The 2,300 who had type 2 Diabetes (T2D) at the beginning of the study had a 4.36-fold higher risk for heart disease—including cardiac arrhythmias and heart failure.

The study team found that T2D was a more significant factor in contracting heart disease than age, education, sex, body mass index, smoking, even genetics and early life experiences. They also found that study participants with health lifestyles were 56 percent less likely to develop heart disease, and reported that patients with type 2 diabetes “should be aware that they must maintain a healthy lifestyle to prevent heart disease.”

Other serious health problems associated with T2D include Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, kidney disease and eye and nerve damage. Many people are unaware that they have prediabetes which, over time, can turn into T2D if not cared for.

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