Passive smoking increases diabetes risk

	Tweet

A study published on the British Medical Journal website shows for the first time that breathing other people’s smoke raises the risk of developing glucose intolerance, the precursor to diabetes.

The US research also shows that overall, white Americans are more susceptible to this effect than African-Americans.

Researchers examined 4572 men and women in four US cities, dividing them into four categories of smoking status: ranging from those who smoked, to those who had neither smoked nor breathed in other people’s smoke. The study focussed only on those who were white or African-American.

The authors then tracked how many participants developed glucose intolerance - where the body can no longer produce enough insulin to regulate blood sugar - over 15 years of follow-up.

The study found that smokers had the highest risk, with 22% of them getting the disease over the study period. Non-smokers who had no exposure to second-hand smoke had the lowest risk, with less than 12% developing the condition.

But 17% of those who had never smoked themselves but were subject to second-hand smoke also developed glucose intolerance - higher than the 14% risk rate in the group who had previously smoked and given up.

Those breathing second-hand smoke are exposed to many toxins, say the authors. And the chemical reactions which produce second-hand smoke mean that some of those toxins may be at even higher concentrations than the levels breathed in directly by smokers. If one of these toxins particularly affects the pancreas - the organ which produces insulin - this may explain the findings, they suggest.

Until now, it had not been known that those breathing second-hand smoke faced an increased risk of diabetes, say the researchers. More studies are now needed, they conclude.

http://www.bmj.com

RELATED STORIES:
New study reveals how cannabis suppresses immune functions   WHO launches campaign to halt smoking in Africa   Secondhand smoke linked to cervical cancer   Tobacco industry hid smoking dangers - report   90 percent of Africans are not protected by smoke-free laws   Heroin cheap and easy in remote Afghan North   New UTHealth Trial Aimed at Helping Pregnant Women Stop Smoking   Spanish-Language Ads Get Message Across for Smoking Quit Lines   Second-hand smoke linked to long-term harm   Pot-smokers may take more risks on the road   Asian Smokers Use Quitlines   Tobacco CEO testimony self-serving

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]