Smoking and Diabetes Doubles the Risk of Dying Early

Unless you've been living off the grid for a couple decades, most people know smoking is bad for your health. Lighting up raises your risk for heart disease, stroke, certain types of cancer, and other health problems. Keep on puffing, and it causes poor bone health, damages your teeth, gums, and vision, and can even lead to diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

And if you keep on smoking when you have diabetes, you have an even bigger problem. In a recent Radiological Society of North American presentation, researchers shared the results of a study that followed 53,000 people. Researchers wanted to find out the true impact of what happens when someone with diabetes smokes.

If you have diabetes, and you smoke, here's what you need to know: It doubles your risk of dying early. In the study half of all reported deaths were caused by cancer.

Think you're ready to kick the habit? The American Lung Association has a wealth of resources to help you successfully curb your cravings and quit for good. Millions of people have, and so can you. And here's something interesting, your health starts to improve in just 20 minutes after you quit smoking. Make it a year without smoking, and you cut your risk for heart disease and stroke in half. And there's more health benefits the longer you avoid smoking.

And in the spirit of making healthy choices, why not improve your diet, too. When you have diabetes, it's important to keep your blood sugar levels in check by eating healthy foods. By the way, quitting smoking can improve your gustatory perception. It's the fancy way of saying, food will taste better, especially if you eat food made from fresh ingredients like Beef Bourguignon, Brown Rice & Broccoli, Tilapia & Rice Pilaf with Mushroom & Artichoke Hearts, a Denver Fritatta, Mashed Potatoes & Cinnamon Apples, or other tasty choices from our Diabetic-Friendly menu.