The Risk Of Smoking and Diabetes

The Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that 20% of adults in the U.S are habitual smokers; this equals to about 45 million people, in the U.S alone. The incidence of premature deaths is increasing, thanks to this habit. According to Surgeon General, smoking is one of the main risk factor for the major diseases and deaths in the United States. However, in this article we will only focus on how smoking affects diabetes.

Research has shown that smoking is the major risk factor for type 2 diabetes. There are several ongoing researches to better explain this relationship. Insulin resistance, which is a forerunner of diabetes, is said to have been caused due to smoking. Recent researches have shown that smoking affects the glucose metabolism, which leads to diabetes. Pancreatic cancer may also develop due to smoking. This is an indication that smoking is toxic to pancreas.

25 studies were revised in order to see the effect of smoking on diabetes. All of these studies supported that smoking leads to diabetes. The review ended up concluding that smoking is one of the biggest risk factors for type 2 diabetes.

A study showed that male smokers are 45% at greater risks of developing diabetes, whereas women who smoke have a 75% increased risk of diabetes. In general, smokers are at 30-40% greater risk of getting diabetes as compared to non-smokers. You might end up having diabetes even if you don't smoker first hand. Even secondhand smokers are quite likely to develop this condition, says research.

The risk of heart diseases is already high in diabetic patients. If a person is a smoker and diabetic, the risk is increased several folds. Smoking leads to fat generation and accumulation in the body, which then predisposes an individual to increased risk of diabetes, heart attack and high blood pressure.

Pregnancy is an important phase for both the mother and her child. Smoking during pregnancy can lead to gestational diabetes and can also increase the risks of the child developing diabetes. If a diabetic woman smokes during pregnancy, it can increase her risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Some recent research has shown that smoking also increases the risk of developing metabolic syndrome (a condition in which a person develops many diseases at the same time). The risks of heart diseases and diabetes are increased due to metabolic syndrome.

Premature deaths also result due to smoking. The risk of death of a person smoking during diabetes is 14 times higher than when a person has only diabetes. A study showed that the higher the cigarettes consumed, the higher is the risk of dying. The study proved that people who smoke 15 to 34 cigarettes a day have a mortality rate of 1.64, whereas people who smoke more than 35 cigarettes per day have a mortality rate of 2.19.

So, there you are. You now have the knowledge of the effect of smoking on diabetes. So, if you are a smoker, you better quit smoking. Join a support group if you think you can't quit on your own.

Chris Smoot is the owner of DiabetesEnquire.com a leading website in research and treatment for Diabetes.

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