Smoking risks great for diabetics
MARQUETTE -- Smokers all across the nation are encouraged to put out their cigarettes Thursday for the Great American Smokeout.
This is the 35th year the American Cancer Society has held the event to raise awareness about the harmful effects of cigarettes. And although smoking is dangerous for everyone, the health risks are greater for a person with diabetes.
A smoker with diabetes is eleven times more likely to have a stroke or a heart attack. And those aren't the only risks for diabetics.
"Obviously cardiovascular disease which is the number one killer in people with diabetes. But it can effect anywhere we have nerves in our body, anywhere where we have blood vessels in our body," explains Diabetes Educator Paula Ackerman.
Health officials say that just after twenty minutes of quitting smoking, your blood pressure and heart rate drop.
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