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Smoking linked to type 2 diabetes

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Smoking linked to type 2 diabetes

Active and passive smoking appear to be linked to an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a new meta-analysis, while quitting seems to “substantially” reduce the risk.

“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first meta-analysis of the association between smoking cessation and diabetes risk,” the authors comment.

The meta-analysis included 88 studies involving almost 5.9 million participants and 295,446 new cases of type 2 diabetes. Being exposed to second-hand smoke was associated with a 22 per cent increased risk of type 2 diabetes compared to people who did not passively smoke.

Current smoking was associated with a 37 per cent increased risk of type 2 diabetes compared to nonsmoking, increasing from 21 per cent in light smokers to 34 and 57 per cent in moderate and heavy smokers respectively.

Former smoking was associated with a 14 per cent increased risk of type 2 diabetes compared to life-long non-smokers. Risk of type 2 diabetes initially rose during the first five years after people quit smoking (54 per cent) but declined to 18 and 11 per cent for those who quit for between five and nine years, and at least 10 years respectively.

Assuming that smoking causes diabetes, the authors estimate that active smoking is responsible for 11.7 per cent of diabetes cases in men and 2.4 per cent among women. “The long-term benefits of smoking cessation on diabetes and other health outcomes would greatly offset the shortterm increased risk of diabetes,” they say.

(Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol 2015 dx.doi.org/10.1016/S2213- 8587(15)00316-2)

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