Diabetes linked to passive smoking

US research published on the British Medical Journal’s website, today revealed that young adults who were regularly exposed to secondhand smoke had a higher risk of glucose intolerance, which in turn can lead to diabetes.

The scientists studied 4,572 men and women from four different US cities and followed them over 15 years.

Those who smoked had the highest risk of developing glucose intolerance, with 22 per cent being unable to produce enough insulin to regulate their blood sugar levels.

This is compared to only 12 per cent of those who did not smoke and were not exposed to secondhand smoke developing the disease.

But 17 per cent of non-smokers who were subject to inhaling others’ smoke developed a glucose intolerance, compared to just 15 per cent of those who had previously smoked but given up and were not subject to secondhand smoke.

“We found that tobacco exposure is associated with the development of glucose intolerance over a 15-year period,” Thomas Houston and his fellow report authors wrote.

“Importantly, we identified passive tobacco exposure in never-smokers as a new risk factor for glucose intolerance. If confirmed by further research, these findings provide further documentation of the deleterious effects of tobacco smoking, and policy makers may use them as additional justification to reduce exposure to passive smoke.”

It is believed that passive smokers are exposed to numerous toxins from cigarette smoke, some of which are at higher concentrations than smokers themselves are subject to.

The authors ruminate that one of these toxins may have a specific effect on the pancreas, but emphasise that more research is necessary.

© Adfero Ltd