Bank employee Manoj Samanta never had high blood pressure in his life. So neither he nor his family could have imagined that he would suffer a stroke just before retirement.
The same fate befell school teacher Prabal Bhaumik, who was over fifty. He also did not have high blood pressure. But like Sanjay Babu, his triglycerides were high. Along with mild diabetes.
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Acquaintances were surprised – why did they have brain strokes! Now, a Chinese study has provided a clear understanding of the reason. It clearly shows that having triglycerides and sugar means insulin resistance develops in the body. And the higher someone's insulin resistance, the proportionally higher their stroke risk becomes. Whether they have high blood pressure or not. The risk increases in direct proportion to triglycerides.
What does insulin resistance mean?
Doctors explain that diabetes has two types. Type One and Type Two. In Type One diabetes, patients' bodies do not produce insulin or produce it inadequately. So they are given medications that stimulate the pancreas to extract insulin. And in Type Two diabetes, it is seen that the pancreas is producing adequate amounts of insulin. But that insulin cannot carry sugar and deliver it into the cells. As a result, sugar keeps increasing in the blood. That is, insulin is being blocked at the cellular level. This is called insulin resistance.
A joint study by Beijing's Peking University First Hospital and Guangdong's Southern Medical University School of Public Health has highlighted how this insulin resistance increases stroke risk. Neurologist Animesh Kar says, "Ordinary people can't measure the level of insulin resistance. Using a mathematical model, Chinese researchers have shown that triglycerides and diabetes, however mild they may be, if both are present at levels higher than normal simultaneously, then it increases stroke risk."
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Endocrinology specialist Satinath Mukhopadhyay also agrees. He believes, "The researchers have shown how the simultaneous high levels of triglycerides and sugar increase the extent of insulin resistance." He explains that diabetes and triglycerides not only increase stroke risk, but are also the root of various cardiovascular diseases, including heart disease and metabolic disorders. Doctors are concerned because the dietary habits and genetic factors of the Indian subcontinent tend to increase triglycerides more. The more refined flour and fried foods are consumed, the more triglycerides increase proportionally.
Neurologist Gautam Gangopadhyay says that after the festival season ends, cold winds start blowing again from November. And the colder the weather becomes, the more blood pressure increases. As a result, stroke risk also increases naturally. This risk is further influenced by high triglyceride levels. Due to this double effect, stroke incidents increase manifold in winter.
