Did you know that there is a strong link between diabetes and heart disease? If you struggle with your blood sugar, it is likely that your blood vessels and heart are suffering as well. Knowing why diabetes affects your heart can help you learn how to tailor your daily habits to make sure that you are living your healthiest life. Taking CBD oil may also be able to help make sure that your diabetes is managed and your heart stays healthy.

The Link Between Diabetes and Heart Disease

If type 2 diabetes goes untreated, it can start to damage your blood vessels and nerves that control your heart and blood vessels. The longer diabetes goes untreated, the more likely you are to develop heart disease, and you are more likely to develop it at an earlier age. The most common cause of death in individuals with diabetes is heart disease and stroke, making them twice as likely to die by these causes than someone who doesn’t have diabetes. Luckily, type 2 diabetes is completely treatable and managing your diabetic symptoms can help lower your chances of heart disease or stroke.

What Other Factors Increase Chances of Heart Disease or Stroke with Diabetes?

Smoking

If you smoke cigarettes, you are raising your risk of developing heart disease whether or not you have diabetes. If you have diabetes, it is even more dangerous. Both smoking and diabetes narrow the blood vessels, increasing your chances of developing long-term problems like lung disease. Smoking also damages blood vessels in your legs which can increase the risk of a lower leg infection, ulcers, and even amputation.

High Blood Pressure

If your blood pressure is high, your heart is working harder than it should to pump blood. High blood pressure strains your heart, damages blood vessels, and increases your risk of having a heart attack, stroke, eye problems, or kidney problems.

Abnormal Cholesterol Levels

Cholesterol is a type of fat that is produced by your liver and found in your blood. You have two types of cholesterol, the good and the bad. LDL, which is the bad cholesterol, can build up and clog your blood vessels. High levels of bad cholesterol raise your risk of developing heart disease and stroke. Triglycerides, another type of blood fat, can also raise your risk of heart disease when the levels are higher than what is recommended by your doctor.

Obesity and Belly Fat

Obesity and belly fat can make it a lot harder to manage diabetes and can increase your risk for a lot of different health problems, including high blood pressure and heart disease. Even if you aren’t overweight, excess fat around your waist can still raise your chances of developing heart disease. Excess belly fat generally looks like more than 40 inches in the waist if you are a man or more than 35 inches in your waist if you are a woman.

Family history

If someone in your family has suffered from heart disease or stroke, you have a higher risk of developing the same issues. If one or more of your family members has had a heart attack before the age of 50, your chances become even higher. If heart disease runs in your family, you have to work even harder toward managing your diabetes to prevent disease.

How to Lower Risk of Heart Disease when you Have Diabetes

Even though diabetes can become deadly, there are ways you can take control over this disease and lower your risks of heart disease or stroke. Try to follow these guidelines to keep your heart and blood vessels healthy when you have diabetes.

Manage your Diabetes ABCs

Your ABCs will help you manage your blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol, all needed to manage diabetes and heart disease.

A is for the A1C Test

The AIC test is to show your average blood glucose level over the past three months. It is different from the blood glucose check that you do daily. The high the A1C number, the higher your blood glucose levels have been in the last three months. If your glucose is too high, it can harm your heart, blood vessels, kidneys, feet, and eyes.

B is for Blood Pressure

Blood pressure is how fast and hard the blood is pushing up against the walls of your blood vessels. If your blood pressure is too high, your heart is working too hard. The goal for most people with diabetes is to have blood pressure of 140/90, so ask your doctor what your specific goals should be. If you let your blood pressure continue to get too high, it increases your chance of heart attack or stroke and can damage your kidneys and eyes.

C is for cholesterol

You know all about LDL, also known as bad cholesterol. When this fat builds up, it can clog your blood vessels which can lead to a heart attack or stroke. The good cholesterol, or HDL, helps to remove the bad cholesterol from your blood vessels. When you go to the doctor, ask them what your cholesterol levels should be. If you are older than 40, you might need to take medicine to lower your cholesterol and protect your heart.

S is for Stop Smoking

Smoking is something that just kills us and does nothing else, yet still so many people partake in the activity. If you have diabetes, you absolutely need to figure out a way to quit. When you quit smoking, you lower your risk of heart attack, stroke, nerve disease, kidney disease, eye disease, and amputation. Your blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol may improve as well as your blood circulation. Being physically active may also become easier.

Find out how CBD oil can help you quit smoking cigarettes here!

Develop and Maintain Healthy Habits

It is much easier to combat disease when you have healthy habits. Healthy habits are things like:

• A healthy eating plan
• Physical activity in your routine
• Get enough sleep
• Manage your weight

Learn to manage stress

Stress, anger, and sadness are all common when you live with diabetes. You may have the know-how on how to get healthy, but sticking with a healthy plan over time can be difficult. If you struggle with stress, it can raise your blood glucose and blood pressure if you choose not to manage it.

Take Medicine

Medicine is an important part of your treatment plan when it comes to regulating your blood pressure and cholesterol. Medicine can help you need your blood glucose goals as well. Ask your doctor what medicine would work best for you, and be sure to mention using CBD oil for your heart and diabetes.

CBD for Diabetes



Studies have shown that CBD oil may be a valid treatment option for diabetes by regulating your blood sugar as well as helping with other symptoms associated with diabetes like being overweight, depression, and fatigue. Because CBD has such an attractive side-effect profile with very few adverse reactions, many people are starting to trade in their medication for CBD oil.

CBD has shown in studies to help regulate your blood sugar levels by reducing the hormone called resistin. Resistin is a hormone that causes your body to become resistant to insulin, making your blood glucose levels unregulated. When you take CBD, resistin isn’t produced making your blood sugar levels regulated.

CBD for Blood Pressure

Along with your diabetes, you need to be paying extra close attention to your heart health. CBD oil may be able to help with heart disease and stroke making it perfect for people struggling with both diabetes and heart problems. Studies have shown that in just one dose, participants struggling with high blood pressure found significant improvements.

CBD for Your Heart

CBD oil may be able to do more than just regulate your blood pressure. Studies have shown that CBD oil has been successful in helping to regulate heart arrhythmias. Because CBD oil is so effective against inflammation, studies have also shown it can reduce the inflammation of the heart helping to preserve the living cells and prevent further damage.

More than Medicine

If you have an illness or know anyone with an illness, it is likely you know that medication is rarely the only answer. While it sure helps a whole lot, it doesn’t cover every base that you need in order to live a healthier life. One way to take medicine without actually taking medicine is by having a healthy diet.

Food is full of vitamins, minerals, and other types of chemicals that work together to make your body strong and healthy. However, there are also foods that will do the exact opposite and make you feel miserable. (Check out the importance of gut bacteria in this article and how it could be causing your health problems!)

Food to Eat for Diabetes and Heart Health

• Cinnamon
• Broccoli
• Spinach
• Beans
• Nuts
• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Protein
• Dark Chocolate (YAY!)
• Eggs
• Walnut
• Dairy
• Whole Grains
• Berries
• Salmon
• Apples
• Avocados
• Cauliflower
• Raisins

 
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Do you struggle with high blood sugar? There are signs your body gives you to let you know that your glucose level is too high. These signs can help you start to tailor your diet so you don’t come across any complications that type 2 diabetes can bring.

1. Increased Thirst And Urination

Your kidneys play a vital role in regulating your blood sugar levels. However, when your kidneys can’t keep up, this can make you dehydrated. If you notice that you are thirsty often and urinating more frequently, your blood sugar may be getting high.

2. Fatigue

Illness and disease are exhausting, and that goes the same for having high blood sugar. When your blood sugar is too high, it makes your blood move more slowly like sludge in a pipe. When our blood isn’t traveling the way it is supposed to, it causes the rest of your body to not receive the oxygen and nutrients that it needs. This can also cause inflammation which can lead to fatigue.

3. Nausea

High blood sugar can cause your digestion to slow down. It can also cause other issues in your gastrointestinal tract which can lead to nausea or vomiting. If you find that you are feeling nauseous for seemingly no reason, it may be your blood sugar.

4. Fruity Breath Odor

Bad breath can be a sign of stinky food, or it could indicate a health condition like diabetes. When diabetes isn’t managed, the body doesn’t make enough insulin to break down the glucose in your blood. This causes the body’s cells to not receive enough glucose to use as energy. So what does it use instead? Fat.

While it might seem like a good thing that your body is using fat, this process of breaking down fat to use as energy releases a by-product called ketones. Ketone bodies include acetone which is the same substance used in nail polish remover and a fruity smell distinguishes this issue.

Try CBD Oil

CBD has shown in studies to reduce the level of resistin in your body which is a hormone that causes you to become resistant to insulin. By taking CBD oil, you may be able to help control your blood sugar levels. Be sure to also change your diet because medication alone is rarely the best solution.

[author name="Sarah Potts" bio = "Sarah Potts has been writing about the wonderful benefits of cannabis for CBD Instead since 2017. Medical cannabis has changed her life and her goal is to show others how it might help them as well." email="pottscontent@gmail.com" twitter= "pottstato"]

There are many different reasons your body can become resistant to insulin, which is what your body uses to regulate your blood sugar levels. Being overweight, chronic stress, or an illness like Cushing’s disease can make your body resistant to insulin, raising your blood sugar levels. CBD has shown that it can help lower blood sugar by decreasing a particular hormone that makes your body resistant to insulin.

Symptoms Of High Blood Sugar

• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Blurred Vision
• Frequent urination
• Increased Thirst
• Difficulty concentrating
• Dry mouth
• Increased hunger
• Shortness of breath
• Abdominal pain

The insulin in your body helps control your blood sugar levels, but when your body becomes resistant, your pancreas starts to create more and more working in overtime and raising your blood sugar levels. If you have a resistance to insulin, your body is using a hormone called resistin.

CBD oil can help with blood sugar levels by decreasing the amount of resistin in the body. For those recovering from having high blood sugar or other diabetic symptoms, hemp oil can help reduce stress, cell death, and tissue scarring.

Symptoms CBD Can Help With

Cannabidiol may do more than just regulating your blood sugar; it can also help with some of the symptoms such as pain and fatigue. By interacting with the endocannabinoid system, hemp oil has access to your perception of pain and your energy.

Pain

Cannabidiol can help with pain because it elevates the endocannabinoid anandamide. This endocannabinoid binds to the CB1 receptor which mediates the neurological functions of the body, including the perception of pain. By raising this chemical, CBD can reduce your sensitivity to pain as well as boost your energy.

Fatigue

While mediating your sensitivity to pain, the CB1 receptor also has many other jobs such as regulating your mood, sleep cycle, and appetite. Increased anandamide can boost your mood and improve your sleep making you feel more refreshed and energized. CBD can also help with energy by being involved in your metabolism process.

Cannabidiol enhances the mitochondria and helps your body use it’s natural energy more efficiently. CBD also promotes the fat browning process, which is when your body turns white fat into brown fat so it can be burned for fuel.

Even though CBD might help these symptoms and causes, changing your lifestyle is still necessary for a full recovery. A personal nutritional coach is often suggested because everybody is different and having someone tailor a meal plan to you specifically can be very beneficial in the long run.

The CDC projects that by 2050, one in every three people will have diabetes. Right now, our score is every 1 in 10 adults has diabetes. But we don’t have to go in this perceived direction. One of the biggest things we can do is change our diet. By romanticizing healthy food, we could win part of the battle. However, not everyone gets diabetes from being overweight, and some people who are already there have a difficult time coming back. Some may result in diet pills or fad diets, but may fall into even worse health or going back to their old habits. This debacle is where CBD oil comes in. Cannabidiol might be the solution to our country’s diabetes problem.

What Is CBD?

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a chemical we find in the cannabis sativa plant, also known as marijuana. Unlike the most well-known cannabinoid, THC, cannabidiol doesn’t get you high. It is a safer medicinal alternative to the majority of the pharmaceuticals on the market and is tolerated at extremely high doses.

Cannabidiol is known for covering so much across the medical field. People with depression, inflammation, skin rashes, anxiety, and even diseases like fibromyalgia are finding relief through cannabis oil. It does this because it regulates your endocannabinoid system.

What Is The Endocannabinoid System?

Everyone has an endocannabinoid system, as long as you’re a mammal with a spine. We haven’t decided on your goldfish yet because there has been conflicting evidence. What the endocannabinoid system does is regulates your body. It is how your body knows when to eat, when to have a fever, or when to stop feeling angry.

Parts Of The Endocannabinoid System

Endocannabinoids

Your brain has proteins that create chemicals called endocannabinoids. They are the chemicals in your brain that are similar to cannabinoids from marijuana. They work as mediators in the space between neurons called synapses. They travel from the postsynaptic cell through the synapse to the presynaptic cell and bind to cannabinoid receptors. By releasing these endocannabinoids, the postsynaptic cell can control what message it receives from the sending cell.

Cannabinoid Receptors

We have identified two cannabinoid receptors, CB1 and CB2. These receptors are all over your body in your cells. When these receptors are stimulated, they start creating effects. CB1 receptors are more densely located in your brain, controlling functions over your neurological system. The CB2 receptors are more spread out through your body and are involved with the immune system.

Metabolic Enzymes

These proteins are what create the endocannabinoids when the body needs them. Synthesizing endocannabinoids isn’t all they do, they also are responsible for cell repair and growth. When the endocannabinoids are no longer required, these enzymes clean up the debris.

The Endocannabinoid System And Diabetes

Researchers think that an overactive endocannabinoid system could contribute to diabetes. The endocannabinoid system is in charge of energy intake and storage where overactivity can impair glucose and lipid metabolism. Overactivity can lead to inflammation in the pancreas which controls insulin production, which can eventually lead to cell death. It’s thought that hyperglycemia common in diabetes makes the endocannabinoid system even more overactive, making it a never-ending cycle.

How Can CBD Help With Diabetes?

Diabetic Retinopathy

High blood sugar levels can cause damage to blood vessels in the retina called diabetic retinopathy. This damage can make these vessels swell, leak, and even stop blood flow. There are also cases where abnormal veins developed in the retina. Any of this type of damage to can make you lose your vision.

In 2006, a study on the effects of cannabidiol and diabetic retinopathy in rats was published. They explain that neurodegeneration is a significant component of this disease. CBD prevented the breakdown in the vein walls while preventing death in the rat’s central neurons. Researchers think that by reducing oxidative stress, CBD prevents the Blood-Retinal Barrier breakdown. They also found that rats without diabetes were unaffected.

Overeating

Diabetes is caused by your body not providing the right amount of insulin. Insulin comes from your pancreas, so if that organ becomes damaged, you’re going to have some trouble. In 2015, there were 1.5 million new cases of diabetes in America. Considering that 87.5% of these patients were overweight or obese, it may be because of their diet.

Overeating can cause dysfunction in the endocannabinoid system. This could cause diabetes because the system controls the lipid and glucose metabolism. Unbalanced energy intake, like overeating, can make your endocannabinoid system overactive. Researchers believe it might contribute to excessive fat accumulation.

Studies have shown that you can retrain your brain and your eating habits with CBD oil. When you eat, your reward system goes off. This is how people can become addicted to eating or continue eating even after they are full because they enjoy the feelings and sensations of eating. This is especially true with processed food or sugar, which are known to be extremely addictive.

CBD calms down your overactive neurons, making eating enjoyable but not like a drug. Just the way it helps people quit smoking cigarettes or doing heroin, CBD can curb your desire to eat. It doesn’t make you starve yourself; it just regulates your reward system by calming overactive neurons.

Getting The Weight Off

Hindsight is 20/20. Yeah, maybe you shouldn’t have spent all of your college years eating fast food. But you can’t change years of a poor diet just by knowing better now. Some might feel they could exercise every second of their life and not make any changes on the scale. Before you result in unsafe diet pills, CBD can help you trim off fat.

You have two types of fat that your body makes. The white fat cells which your body stores, and the brown fat cells which your body burns for energy. CBD oil has shown that it helps the body brown fat, making it easier to work it off.

But I’m Not Overweight

Not everyone with diabetes is overweight. Though the majority of them are, incidences still occur in people at a healthy weight. You don’t have to feel left out, though, because there is a study for you, too! A study with nonobese diabetic mice found that the use of CBD reduced the incidence of diabetes by 86%. Cannabidiol is thought to reduce the plasma levels of proinflammatory cytokines, which are what can make diseases worse. It also showed to minimize insulitis.

Heart Problems

Patients with diabetes often have problems with their heart. One of the diseases that is usually tagging along is coronary artery disease, the most common heart disease. This disease is most known for how it clogs up arteries, but the effects afterward are where the worries lie.

With coronary artery disease, your cells in your heart can begin to die, or your arteries can completely clog causing a heart attack. A study shows that CBD has the potential to reduce cell death in the heart muscles, and reduce nuclear-factor KB, which is an inflammatory molecule. Since CBD is also an anti-oxidant, it also showed that it reduces high-glucose induced oxidative and nitrative stress.

Random Pain

Patients with diabetes may start feeling pain or lose feeling entirely from nerve damage. About 60% of people with diabetes have neuropathy damage. This damage can be caused by high blood glucose, abnormal blood fat levels, inflammation, genes, and even lifestyle choices. CBD oil has shown that it can reduce the pain you feel from neuropathy damage.

Switching To CBD

If you are thinking about changing to CBD or adding it to your regimen, talk to your doctor first. Several medications can cause adverse reactions, and having someone to monitor your health while you make medical changes is something you should definitely take advantage of. Just like with mental health, quitting the medication you are currently taking to switch to something else without medical supervision could prove to be lethal. This includes more than just marijuana; this is this case with all types of medication.

How Much CBD Should I Take For Diabetes?

When you are first using CBD, you should start low and gradually at a snail's pace elevate your dose. Just taking 400MG of CBD could have absolutely no consequences or it could cause adverse reactions, it all depends on the body. Just like how not everyone can eat peanut butter or take Advil, there is always a small percentage of the population who can’t participate. If you’ve never taken it before, you would have no idea if you are that person.

Dosage can range from 10 milligrams to 300 milligrams, so starting at a minimal dose and raising it slowly can help you find the sweet spot. It has also been discovered that there is such a thing as too much CBD. Not because it can make you overdose, but because it just becomes less efficient. This is another reason it is so important to start low and go slow; you don’t want to miss that sweet pocket of health.

If you are ready to take CBD for your diabetes, be sure to stop by our shop. We have CBD oil pills that are the easiest way to use CBD if you never have before. Just like taking any other medicine! If you feel like being adventurous, check out the CBD isolates so you can start making your very own medicinal snacks!