A study into smoking and the association with type 2 diabetes has concluded that smokers have 1.4 times greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared with those who do not smoke.
Interestingly, the research also found that the chance of developing diabetes rises slightly (to about 1.5 times) for up to five years after a person has stopped smoking; however, it then falls to about 1.2 times after five years of not smoking.
The lead researcher, Professor Naveed Sattar, told BBC Health News that the time has come for healthcare professionals to tell their patients that if they continue to smoke they face a higher risk of diabetes. He added: “They should mention that, as well as being a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and many cancers, smoking should also be regarded as a risk factor for diabetes (albeit with a small effect relative to, for example, lung cancer).”
To arrive at this conclusion, scientists examined data relating to some six million people. The data was drawn from 88 studies and examined by an international team. The research, led by the University of Glasgow, has been published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal. The paper is titled “Smoking and diabetes risk: building a causal case with clinical implications.”
Importantly the research is based correlation. It doe snot prove that smoking causes diabetes; it shows that there a pattern, albeit one that cannot be explained. However, should further research confirms the link then some of the ways to tackle type 2 diabetes will need to center on campaigns to encourage people to stop smoking.
