Health and Fitness Information Center

Diabetes Vocabulary, Part 2

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Cardiovascular disease. A common -- and serious -- complication of diabetes. Most people with diabetes ultimately die of cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease is a condition of the heart (cardio) and blood vessels (vascular) in which the arteries become narrowed by fatty, cholesterol-rich deposits known as atherosclerotic plaques. Once narrowed, circulation becomes impaired. The cells of the heart do not receive enough nourishment and oxygen to pump sufficient blood for the body's needs. Blood pressure rises, and the heart becomes fatigued. If an artery in the heart becomes completely blocked by atherosclerotic plaques, the blood supply to part of the heart gets cut off (coronary artery disease), and the result is a heart attack. If an artery in the brain becomes completely blocked by atherosclerotic plaques, blood supply to part of that organ gets cut off, and the result is a stroke.

Cholesterol. A substance the body uses to make cell walls and certain vitamins and hormones. The liver produces enough cholesterol for these purposes, and in most people keeps the blood cholesterol level below 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl). But blood cholesterol rises with consumption of animal products, which contain both cholesterol and saturated fat. The atherosclerotic plaques that lead to heart attack and stroke are rich in cholesterol.

Diabetes Control and Complications Trial. The DCCT was a 10-year study of more than 1,400 people with type 1 diabetes sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. It showed what many diabetes specialists had suspected for years, that tight blood-glucose control significantly reduces risk of all diabetic complications: cardiovascular disease, eye disease (retinopathy), kidney disease (nephropathy), and nerve damage (neuropathy).

Diabetes. A disease characterized by a lack of insulin production, or the body's inability to use the insulin it produces properly. In diabetes, blood glucose levels rise to abnormal levels, which can cause a host of symptoms and complications.

Diabetes mellitus. The medical term for diabetes.

Exchange List. One way people with diabetes can plan their meals and diet. The exchange lists group foods into six categories: starch/bread, meat, vegetable, fruit, milk, and fat. Foods within any list can be substituted, or exchanged, with other foods on the same list without significantly altering the nutritional content of your diet.