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High blood sugar may increase heart health risk factor, even in non-diabetics

Category: Diabetes

Blood tests for glucose levels may reveal cardiovascular damage that could predict a person's long-term risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke, according to a new study from a team of Johns Hopkins University researchers.

The team said their findings were consistent even in participants who did not have a history of heart disease or diabetes. The findings suggest that blood tests that measure glucose levels may be useful for measuring heart health.

For the study, the researchers administered HbA1c tests to nearly 10,000 participants. The test is considered a measure of long-term blood sugar control. The results showed that individuals who had higher than normal scores tended to have elevated levels of a protein known as troponin, which is known to be a marker of cardiovascular risk.

The findings indicated that even blood glucose levels below the threshold for a diabetes diagnosis increased a person's heart health danger.

The researchers said that diabetes, which is mainly characterized by high blood sugar, is known to be a risk factor for heart disease. The new findings may help explain why this risk exists.