People who give up smoking face higher risk of diabetes

IT’S NO secret that quitting smoking is one of the best ways to improve your health but a new study has found kicking the habit may increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the short term.

The surprising findings do not suggest that smoking protects from diabetes, but that the temporary increased risk could correlate with weight gain associated with stopping smoking.

The research, published in the latest issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, found ex-smokers had a 70 per cent increased risk of developing the condition in the first three years after giving up compared with non-smokers.

The research team at the John Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore based their findings on a study of nearly 11,000 middle-aged adults who were followed for up to 17 years.

About 1.8 per cent of ex-smokers developed type 2 diabetes each year during the study, a significantly higher level than those who persisted smoking, and than those classified as non-smokers.

While an elevated diabetes risk in ex-smokers was identified in the short term, especially during the first three years, the risk did gradually diminish over time, returning to normal after 12 years.

After adjusting for a number of factors that might have influenced the results such as age, race, sex, education, fitness, fat levels and blood pressure, the researchers concluded the increased risk was associated with the weight gain normally associated with quitting cigarettes.

However, researchers warned their findings should not dissuade people from quitting cigarettes as the increased risk was almost entirely removed when individuals avoided the weight gain.

“For smokers at risk for diabetes, smoking cessation should be coupled with strategies for diabetes prevention and early detection,” the study advised.

Type 2 diabetes, also known as non-insulin dependent diabetes, develops when the body fails to make sufficient insulin to regulate its blood sugar levels, or when the insulin that the body does make is not used properly. The Diabetes Federation of Ireland estimates the disease affects about 200,000 people in Ireland but warns that many others may go undetected as symptoms are often subtle and misdiagnosed.

The disease, which usually appears in people over 40, is strongly linked to weight gain and obesity. The condition is also associated with smoking but the link has yet to be fully explained.

Prof John Nolan, a consultant endocrinologist at St James’s Hospital, Dublin, said the US research showed even modest weight gain of about 4kg was enough to markedly increase diabetes risk in people who were already at increased risk of diabetes.

“These findings reinforce the importance of prevention of type 2 diabetes,” he said.

Prof Nolan said moderate but consistent changes in diet and exercise, together with weight loss of 4-5kg, had been shown to be effective at preventing diabetes over a three-year period.

“It is now clear that these lifestyle changes should be included in smoking cessation programmes, to reduce the risk of diabetes.”