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Complications of
Diabetes
If one develops type 2 diabetes, he or she becomes
vulnerable to a host of other long-term medical
issues. According to NIH, people that have diabetes
have a greater chance of having coronary heart dis-
ease, heart failure, and diabetic cardiomyopathy. (We
will discuss heart diseases at greater length in chapter 3.) People with dia-
betes are also at a higher risk of having peripheral artery disease, a condition
when the arteries that lead to the legs and feet become clogged.
34 / Health Issues Caused by Obesity
Make Connections:
Glucose Guidelines
MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of
Medicine, suggests the following guidelines for main-
taining healthy blood-sugar levels:
When
Ideal or Targeted
Blood-Glucose Levels
Before meals
90 to 130 milligrams per
deciliter
One to two hours after less than 180 milligrams per
the start of a meal
deciliter