US Pharm. 2010;35(10):88.
In addition to the plethora of health issues known to result from smoking, type 2 diabetes may be added to this list based on results of a Korean study of over 1.2 million medical records. The findings do not prove that smoking causes diabetes, but may offer incentive to shun smoking since former smokers generally showed a lower risk than current smokers. Diabetes affects 24 million people in the U.S., according to a recent study.Among men, the odds of being diagnosed with diabetes generally increased in tandem with the intensity of their smoking. Compared with their counterparts who had never smoked, men who lit up at least 20 times a day were 55% more likely to visit their doctor. Among women, the same level of smoking, as well as light smoking (1 to 9 cigarettes per day), were associated with a one-third higher diabetes risk than in those who had never smoked.
