Smoking is unhealthy for anyone, but for people with diabetes, it is especially perilous.

Diabetes and smoking combined, creates low-level inflammation throughout the body that affects the most important functions in the body such as the eyes resulting in blindness, painful nerve damage, kidney failure and can double the damaging effects as in heart problems.

Stopping smoking reduces the risk of developing all major diabetes-related complications.

Physicians have clear knowledge that smoking and diabetes are a treacherous couple, but now we know why:? It’s the nicotine.? Nicotine raises A1c levels which means a very high circulating sugar level within the body.

An addiction to cigarettes is so hard to overcome.? Even in my own family, my mother smoked 1.5 packs of cigarettes a day. My grandparents both smoked as well and my grandfather died of lung cancer.? My grandfather desperately tried to quit smoking multiple times throughout his life but could not do it permanently as he so desired.

Read the full article article on Dr. Lori Shemek’s blog at?http://www.dlshealthworks.com/