GARDEN ROUTE | KAROO NEWS - Diabetes is a long-term disease that impairs the body’s capacity to metabolise glucose. The International Diabetes Federation reports that about 4.5 million South Africans are diabetic.
This represents type one and type two diabetes. Diabetes affected roughly one in every 10 people worldwide in 2014.
The World Health Organisation predicted it will be the sixth greatest cause of death by 2030.
If left untreated, diabetes can cause nerve damage. It’s also known to cause amputations, blindness, heart problems and strokes.
If you have diabetes, smoking can make your illness much worse. If you smoke, you are 30% to 40% more likely to get type two diabetes than if you don’t. The more you smoke, the greater the risk.
New research reveals type two patients who have stopped smoking experience a transitory decrease in their glycaemic control that can continue up to three years.
The National Institute for Health Research’s School for Primary Care Research, which funded the study, revealed the purpose was to look at health changes in 10 692 adult smokers with type two diabetes over six years. The study discovered that blood glucose levels increased by 2.3mmol/mol (0.21%).
This change was present in the 29% of participants who quit and stayed abstinent for one year. In short, glycaemic control deteriorated slightly before gradually recovering.
Fifty-five percent of those who continued smoking during the trial showed a more gradual increase in blood glucose levels.
Regardless of how long or how much you’ve smoked, quitting will help you get healthier.
When you stop smoking, your body begins to recover itself:
• Your pulse rate and blood pressure will decline in 20 minutes.
• Carbon monoxide (a harmful chemical emitted by cigarette smoking) levels in your blood returns to normal in about 12 hours.
• Your circulation and lung function will improve in two to three months.
• In a year, your chance of developing heart disease is cut by half compared to someone who continues to smoke.
“Quitting smoking also improves your body’s usage of insulin. This relaxes your blood sugar levels,” said Murray Hewlett, CEO of Affinity Health.
“Don’t give up if you can’t quit on the first try, and don’t be too hard on yourself if you make a mistake and relapse. It may take several attempts before you are completely smoke-free.”
He encouraged people to enlist the help of friends and family or to speak to their healthcare provider for advice on how to kick the habit.
