Swiss researchers have discovered that smokers also face an
increased risk of developing diabetes besides lung cancer and heart
disease, the local Swissinfo website reported on Wednesday.
Those who light up regularly face a 44 percent increased risk of
developing type 2 diabetes compared with non-smokers, according to
the report.
"We knew a few studies had already assessed this link, but we
didn't expect to find so many -- we found 25 studies and all except
one showed that smokers faced an increased risk of diabetes,"
Carole Willi from Lausanne University told Swissinfo.
Willi and colleagues conducted a systematic review and
meta-analysis of studies describing the association between active
smoking and the incidence of type 2 diabetes or other glucose
metabolism irregularities.
Type 2 diabetes -- the form of the disease often associated with
excess body weight, poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle – is
becoming increasingly common in many countries, including
Switzerland.
Willi found that the risk of developing this type of diabetes
was even higher for heavy smokers. Those who sparked up at least 20
times a day had a 61 percent higher risk for diabetes than
non-smokers.
She also found that quitting smoking reduced the danger, with
former smokers seeing a 23 percent higher risk than non-smokers,
far lower than the risk for current smokers.
"On a public health level, this is very important because
diabetes incidence is dramatically increasing. The avoidance of
diabetes would then be another good reason for smokers to quit or
for non-smokers not to begin," Willi said.
Willi admitted that the primary studies used for the review
could not prove smoking was a cause of diabetes, but she said they
did meet several recommended criteria to suggest this.
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(Xinhua News Agency December 13, 2007)?