As if they're not bad enough on their own, these three health issues are all linked to a common killer: heart disease.

1. Heart Disease - Associated Issues
What do having Diabetes, Being Overweight & Smoking Have in Common?
As if they're not bad enough on their own, these three health issues are all linked to a common killer:
heart disease.
No, it's not particularly good news. But it's invaluable information when determining your risk for heart
disease. (Link to risk blog) And hopefully, it'll give you another reason to take another look at how
you're taking care of your body, so your body will continue to take care of you.
Diabetes Mellitus
Here are a few facts:
Almost 65% of people with diabetes die from heart diseases.
Adults with diabetes are two to four times more likely develop a heart disease.
People with diabetes tend to develop heart disease at an earlier age than other people.
Heart attacks in people with diabetes are more serious and more likely to result in death.
Diabetes causes sugar levels to rise in the blood, which can lead to deposits of fatty materials inside
the blood vessel walls. These deposits may increase the chances of clogging and hardening of blood
vessels.
If you have diabetes, it's essential that you talk to your healthcare provider to manage it, and control
other heart disease risks. (Link to finding PCP blog?)
Obesity
It's a terrible word, "Obesity." But what's worse is to know that being obese puts you at a much
higher risk for heart disease.
The term "obese" refers to a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, meaning you're significantly
above your ideal healthy weight. But you're not alone.
Nearly two-thirds of Americans are either overweight or obese.
Recently there's been a lot of talk about childhood obesity--which has more than tripled in the past 30
years--but if we're concentrating on heart diseases, you'd think we're only concerned with adults.

2. Think again.
Overweight adolescents have a significantly increased risk of dying from heart diseases when they
reach adulthood.
The connection between unhealthy weight gain and the #1 cause of death in the U.S. is not
something to be ignored; especially not when it gives us an opportunity to help stop a killer.
Smoking Cigarettes
If you're a smoker, there's no doubt that you're aware of your risks for lung cancer and respiratory
diseases. So maybe you're a gambler.
But did you know that:
Smoking a pack a day more than doubles your risk of a heart attack?
One year after you quit, the risks will be cut in half?
In 15 years, your odds of having a heart attack are the same as non-smokers?
Right. Smoking tobacco is a major cause of coronary artery disease, and your risk of a heart disease
only increase with the number of cigarettes you smoke.
Smokers should also be aware that nearly 40,000 nonsmokers die from heart diseases each year as a
result of "passive smoke."
Yes, it's all connected, whether we like it or not.
Visit PersonaLabs1™ (link to heart page) for a full range of heart-healthy testing.