In April of 1993, Britt Harwe, of Wethersfield, Connecticut, was in a good place in her life. She was 26 years old and married to a wonderful guy, and they had a daughter, Caitlin, who was just about to turn 2. She had a job she loved, too.

Although many people with type 2 diabetes worry about losing their vision or having an amputation, the greater risk is to the heart and brain.

People with healthy blood pressure—less than 120/80—have about half the lifetime risk of stroke as those with high blood pressure, or hypertension.

Anticoagulants like warfarin (brand name Coumadin) are often referred to as blood thinners, though these medications don't actually thin the blood.