Health officials in Mississippi are encouraging people to put out their cigarettes in order to lessen their chances of developing a deadly chronic disease.
November is recognized as National Diabetes Month and the Mississippi State Department of Health has identified smoking as a major risk factor of the potentially fatal disease.
“If you smoke, you are 30 to 40% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than someone who doesn’t,” Tiffany Johnson, Interim Director of the Office of Tobacco Control at MSDH, said.
Smoking not only increases one’s risk of developing diabetes, but it also impacts how well a person’s insulin works. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the chemicals found in cigarettes cause cellular inflammation, which results in less response to insulin. Diabetics who smoke require higher doses of insulin to manage their blood sugar levels.
The state health department offers free programs by phone or text to support those who are quitting smoking, including professional counseling seven days a week and nicotine replacement resources.
Diabetes prevention and management programs are also offered to further support overall wellness and health through medication management and lifestyle modifications. Youth and young adults ages 13 to 24 who vape can also get help by texting VapefreeMS to 88709.
“Diabetes is a disease with serious health consequences, but it is also controllable and preventable,” Jayda Lee, MSDH Director of the Diabetes Prevention and Control Program, said. “About 1 in 7 Mississippians are living with diabetes, placing the state in the top five nationally for diabetes rates.”
