When you have diabetes, keeping your blood sugar (glucose) level close to normal greatly reduces your risk of developing other health problems. Exercising, eating well, staying at a healthy weight and not smoking can all help.

In addition, staying tobacco-free has a powerful effect on your cardiovascular system. Smoking narrows your blood vessels, raises blood pressure and increases the risk of blood clots. Any tobacco use — including smokeless tobacco — increases your risk of heart attack and stroke.

Remember that the benefits of quitting tobacco begin immediately and last a lifetime.

• Your heart and lungs quickly start working better, so your blood delivers more oxygen to your body.
• Getting more oxygen to your body helps prevent problems like a heart attack.
• Within 20 minutes of smoking that last cigarette, your heart rate drops.
• Within a year, your added risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker's.
• Within 5 to 15 years after quitting, your risk of stroke is reduced to that of someone who doesn't smoke.
• Remaining tobacco-free can add years to your life.

Use your diabetes diagnosis as motivation to stay tobacco-free for good. It's one of the best things you can do to improve your health and reduce your risk of developing other health problems.