Having diabetes is a cardiovascular risk factor, as is smoking, high blood pressure, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle. Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM), in addition to controlling bad cholesterol (LDL) and blood pressure, must control glucose levels. Whether there is insufficient insulin production (type I DM) or insulin resistance (type II DM), glucose accumulates in the blood (hyperglycaemia) and this favours microvascular complications. On the other hand, the predisposition of diabetics to maintain high cholesterol levels favours a predisposition to atherosclerosis (cholesterol plaques adhering to the arteries, which, if obstructed, can lead to myocardial infarction or ischaemic stroke due to lack of blood flow).