Will High Blood Sugar Raise My Risk Of Another Heart Attack?

— -- Question: I am finding it difficult to control my blood sugar. Will high blood sugar increase my risk of another heart attack?

Answer: Well, I think any person with diabetes, if you have diabetes, we're more sensitive now to the risk of that sugar level, usually measured as hemoglobin A1c by your doctor, and the future risk of heart disease as well as other complications.

So I think it's very obvious today -- scientists believe in this -- that you should definitely keep your sugar level down. Not only to prevent the sort of things people were afraid about diabetes years ago -- that is, the blindness and the kidney disease, dialysis, for instance -- but we know now that keeping that sugar level where it should be -- that's what's called a hemoglobin A1c, less than 7 percent -- that there's a strong likelihood it can also prevent the risk of heart attack or stroke in the future.

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