Another major health concern has arose for diabetic tobacco users, especially for African-Americans. Those who have been diagnosed with diabetes and are smokers should know the health risks they face.
According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), diabetes is a group of diseases with high blood glucose levels resulting from a defect in the body’s ability to produce and use insulin.
The ADA found that African-Americans are disproportionately affected by diabetes compared to the general population. They are 1.8 times more likely than whites to have diabetes. This is caused by the food selection and obesity rates of African-Americans.
In fact, 18.7 percent of all African-Americans over 20 years of age have diabetes. According to netwellness.org, diabetes is the No. 5 cause of death for African-Americans.
Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) believe African-Americans may have higher rates of diabetes, especially type 2, because of an inherited “thrifty gene” that helped ancestors store food energy better to survive when food was scarce. Now that food is plentiful, the gene works against Blacks and puts them at a higher risk.
Poverty, lack of health care and cultural barriers are also things that put African-Americans at a greater risk for diabetes.
Another health risk African-Americans should be aware of is that 19.4 percent of adults are smokers, which is higher than the national smoking rate, according to tobaccofreekids.org.
When you combine diabetes with tobacco, the results can be drastic.
“Tobacco use and diabetes together is like a ticking time bomb. The chance for major organ systems to fail is hugely increased,” says Carol Dixon, senior manager, mission delivery for the American Diabetes Association. “Tobacco use can increase blood sugar levels and lead to insulin resistance. The more you smoke, the greater your risk of diabetes.”
Dixon also said poisons in tobacco smoke affect a diabetic’s blood sugar and greatly increases the risk for type 2 diabetes.
Miranda Spitznagle, director of the Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Commission at the Indiana State Department of Health, adds that smoking while having diabetes can also affect the way insulin works.
“No matter what type, whether it’s type 1 or type 2 (diabetes), smoking makes your diabetes harder to control,” says Spitznagle.
Spitznagle says complications a diabetic smoker can have include heart and kidney disease and poor blood flow, which can lead to amputations of toes and feet and eye disease.
Dixon says the risk for heart and vascular disease makes the diabetic smoker 11 times more likely to have a heart attack or stroke. Diabetic smokers are also at risk for periodontal (gum) disease, which can lead to a loss of teeth and a build-up of bacteria and infections.
The good news is that there is hope for better health. Spitznagle says the No. 1 thing diabetic smokers can do to decrease these health risks is to quit smoking.
The American Lung Association offers programs for adults, teens and parents on how to quit smoking and the CDC offers tips from former smokers on how to quit. Indiana also has put forth various resources toward smoking cessation.
There is no cure for type 1 diabetes, but both type 1 and type 2 can be managed through exercise, a healthy diet and body weight control.
For more information on diabetes management, contact your physician or the Indiana State Department of Health at (317) 233-1325 or visit In.gov/isdh. For information on quitting smoking, call The Indiana Tobacco Quitline at 1-800-QUIT-NOW.
