People with both diabetes and depression have higher markers of inflammation in their blood than those with diabetes alone, a new study suggests.

Researchers have known that people with diabetes have a higher rate of depression than those without the blood sugar disorder, the Fox News reported.

Inflammation is a sign of the body responding to disease, trauma or other stressors. The new study suggests higher inflammation levels may help explain the link between diabetes, depression and worse overall health, researchers said.

Dr. Khalida Ismail from the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London in the UK and her colleagues examined 1,227 people with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes.

Those who reported symptoms of depression tended to be younger and heavier. They also had higher rates of heart and circulation problems and higher concentrations of established markers of inflammation in their blood, according to results published in Diabetes Care.

Death rates are up to twice as high among people with depression and diabetes as those with diabetes alone, Ismail said.