Smoking is widely known to harm health, especially the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. But did you know that smoking can also have serious consequences for people with diabetes?
Combining smoking and diabetes raises health risks even higher, worsening the overall condition of the body.
How smoking affects diabetes
Smoking can have several harmful effects on diabetes, including:
Raising blood sugar levels
Smoking can cause a dangerous rise in blood sugar levels for people with diabetes. Cigarettes contain nicotine, which interferes with insulin production. Nicotine reduces insulin’s effectiveness, making it harder for the body to properly use glucose. As a result, blood sugar levels spike, worsening diabetes management.
Uncontrolled blood sugar levels make diabetes more difficult to control. Smokers with diabetes often need higher doses of insulin and medication to keep their blood sugar stable.
Damaging blood vessels and the heart
People with diabetes are already at higher risk for heart and blood vessel diseases. Smoking increases this risk, as it damages blood vessel walls and disrupts blood flow.
Nicotine causes blood vessels to narrow, reducing the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the body’s organs. Over time, this increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, and other vascular problems, such as atherosclerosis.
Increasing the risk of diabetes complications
Chemicals in cigarettes also speed up inflammation in the body. For people with diabetes, chronic inflammation makes serious complications more likely, including:
Diabetic Neuropathy
Smoking worsens nerve damage caused by diabetes. Symptoms such as tingling, numbness, and sharp pain in the hands and feet become more common. In severe cases, neuropathy can cause open wounds that are difficult to heal and may even lead to amputation.
Kidney disease
Smoking increases blood pressure, which damages the blood vessels in the kidneys. Continuous smoking accelerates kidney disease in diabetics, potentially leading to kidney failure.
Vision problems
Smoking speeds up the development of diabetic retinopathy, a condition that damages blood vessels in the retina. Without treatment, this can lead to severe vision problems, including blindness.
For people with diabetes, quitting smoking is crucial for protecting their health. Once you stop smoking, blood circulation improves within weeks, blood sugar levels stabilize, and blood pressure drops. Quitting also reduces the long-term risks of serious complications.
If you have more questions about the effects of smoking, you can make use of the consultation features that are available in the Ai Care application by downloading the Ai Care application from the App Store or Play Store.
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- dr Nadia Opmalina
Keri Wiginton (2024). Smoking and Diabetes. Available from: https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/smoking-and-diabetes
CDC (2023). Smoking and Diabetes. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/diseases/diabetes.html
US FDA (2024). How Smoking Can Increase Risk for and Affect Diabetes. Available from: https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/health-effects-tobacco-use/how-smoking-can-increase-risk-and-affect-diabetes
Terri D'Arrigo (2023). How Does Nicotine Affect Blood Sugar?. Available from: https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/nicotine-blood-sugar
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease (2021). Diabetes, Heart Disease, & Stroke. Available from: https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/preventing-problems/heart-disease-stroke
WebMD (2023). What Is Diabetic Neuropathy?. Available from: https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/diabetes-neuropathy
National Eye Institute (2024). Diabetic Retinopathy. Available from: https://www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-diseases/diabetic-retinopathy
