Are you diagnosed with diabetes? Do you smoke? Do the people in your home and around you smoke?

They’ve been telling us for decades that smoking is a direct cause of cancer but if you have diabetes, smoking . . . including passive smoking . . . can lead to complications and other health problems.

Here are six reasons why smoking is a very bad idea for diabetics.

1) You are more likely to suffer from neuropathy (nerve damage) because smoking affects your circulation and that means that your nerve ending don’t get the blood flow and nutrients they need. This can lead to sores and infections, and if not dealt with properly, it can even lead to amputations.

2) Diabetic smokers suffer an increased risk . . . double, in fact . . . of developing limited mobility in their joints. This makes it difficult to bend, climb stairs, or lift things because of joint pain.

3) Smoking increases your risk of developing kidney disease.

4) Smoking increases blood pressure, and increased blood pressure creates the very real risk of heart disease.

Research has shown that diabetics who smoke have a 3-fold increase in their risk of dying from heart disease.

5) Smoking increases blood sugar levels which make control difficult since your glucose levels can fluctuate quite dramatically, in turn, leading to other complications.

6) Smoking increases your cholesterol levels which, in turn, increase your risk of heart attack.

As you can see, smoking has a seriously detrimental effect on diabetes management and heart health.

And . . . on top of all this, there is the ever present risk of cancer.