A new study shows that the risk of heart disease and stroke is doubled for those who have diabetes, however the reason why is still unknown.
The study confirms there is a strong link between diabetes and disorders of the health of blood vessels.
Currently one in ten deaths from heart and artery diseases is likely due to diabetes. This equates to 325,000 every year across all industrialised countries.
The research shows that a small fraction can be explained by high levels of blood fats, obesity and high blood pressure .
Those who do not have diabetes but have high blood sugar levels were weakly related to heart disease. However the main hazard of diabetes is high blood sugar .
Ultimately the suggestion is that diabetes has a damaging effect on blood vessels.
The study was carried out by an international research group led by scientists from Cambridge University.
Dr Nadeem Sarwar, one of the Cambridge scientists, said: “Our findings highlight the need for better prevention of diabetes coupled with greater investigation of the mechanisms by which diabetes increases the risk of cardiovascular disease .”

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