Smoking increases the risk of diabetes.
Every cigarette raises blood sugar levels, explained drug addiction specialist Vitaly Holdin near Moscow. Smokers are almost 50% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than non-smokers. Nicotine and other substances in cigarette smoke reduce the body's sensitivity to insulin, and the release of stress hormones further increases sugar levels.
For people already diagnosed with diabetes, smoking is especially dangerous: it interferes with sugar control and increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.
The doctor also warned that smoking a cigarette before a fasting blood test or PET scan could distort the test results.
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