A large scale study involving 700,000 patients admitted to hospitals with a heart attack between 2003 and 2013 showed that 121,000 of them had diabetes.

The study — led by Dr. Chris Gale from the University of Leeds and published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health — used the data from the 700,000 patients. After correcting for other illnesses, medical treatment received, age and sex, the team found that patients with diabetes were about 50 percent more likely to have died from a  heart attack.

Dr. Anna Morris, Head of Research Funding at Diabetes UK, says that managing diabetes can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. To this end, she suggests to have a healthy diet, keep active, and take the medications prescribed by your doctor.