LONDON — Developing diabetes in middle age may cut your life short by about six years, a new study has suggested. The study, involving over 250 scientists from 25 countries, was the first such research that linked reduction of life expectancy to having type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes is known to double the risk of heart attacks and strokes, but the new findings showed that people with type 2 diabetes are also at greater risk of dying from cancer, infection and mental disorders, the Daily Mail said.

Scientists from the Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration - co-ordinated by the University of Cambridge - analysed data on 820,900 people.

After accounting for other risk factors like age, sex, obesity and smoking, the researchers found people with diabetes were at increased risk of death from cancers, infections, mental disorders, liver, digestive, kidney and lung diseases.

Researcher Naveed Sattar of University of Glasgow said: ‘The findings not only show the extensive range of complications linked to diabetes, but also the importance of raised sugar levels, as opposed to cholesterol and blood pressure to such complications.’