How Is Smoking Related to Diabetes?

Diabetes is a group of diseases in which blood sugar levels are higher than normal. Most of the food a person eats is turned into glucose (a kind of sugar) for the body’s cells to use for energy. The pancreas, an organ near the stomach, makes a chemical called insulin that helps glucose get into the body’s cells. When you have diabetes, your body either doesn't make enough insulin or can't use the insulin very well. Less glucose gets into the cells and instead builds up in the blood.

There are different types of diabetes. Type 2 is the most common kind of diabetes in adults and accounts for about 90–95% of all diagnosed cases. Fewer people have type 1 diabetes, which most often develops in children, adolescents, or young adults.

Type 1 diabetes used to be called juvenile-onset diabetes. It is usually caused by an auto-immune reaction where the body’s defence system attacks the cells that produce insulin. The reason this occurs is not fully understood. People with type 1 diabetes produce very little or no insulin. The disease may affect people of any age, but usually develops in children or young adults. People with this form of diabetes need injections of insulin every day in order to control the levels of glucose in their blood. If people with type 1 diabetes do not have access to insulin, they will die.

Type 2 diabetes used to be called non-insulin dependent diabetes or adult-onset diabetes, and accounts for at least 90% of all cases of diabetes. It is characterised by insulin resistance and relative insulin deficiency, either or both of which may be present at the time diabetes is diagnosed. The diagnosis of type 2 diabetes can occur at any age. Type 2 diabetes may remain undetected for many years and the diagnosis is often made when a complication appears or a routine blood or urine glucose test is done. It is often, but not always, associated with overweight or obesity, which itself can cause insulin resistance and lead to high blood glucose levels. People with type 2 diabetes can often initially manage their condition through exercise and diet. However, over time most people will require oral drugs and or insulin.

How Is Smoking Related to Diabetes?
Smoking increases your chance of having type 2 diabetes. No matter what type of diabetes you have, smoking makes your diabetes harder to control.
For example, smoking as well as use of other tobacco products (such as snuff) can interfere with how your insulin works (a situation called "insulin resistance"). Snuff is finely ground tobacco that can be dry, moist, or in tea bag-like pouches.
If you have diabetes and you smoke, you are more likely to have serious health problems from diabetes. Smokers with diabetes have higher risks for serious complications, including:
• Heart and kidney disease
• Poor blood flow in the legs and feet that can lead to foot infections, ulcers, and possible amputation (removal of a body part by surgery, such as toes or feet)
• Retinopathy (an eye disease that can cause blindness)
• Peripheral neuropathy (damaged nerves to the arms and legs that causes numbness, pain, weakness, and poor coordination)
If you are a smoker with diabetes and decide to quit smoking or using any type of tobacco product, the health benefits begin right away. People with diabetes who quit have better control of their blood sugar levels. Studies have shown that insulin resistance can start to decrease 8 weeks after quitting. And recovery from surgery can happen faster.