Pre-diabetes cases more among passive smokers: study

The experts investigated the impact of active smoking and exposure to passive smoking on the risk of developing diabetes. “Exposure to passive smoking in workplace leads to an increased risk of diabetes after adjustments for a large number of possible cofounders,” says the magazine.

The data was analysed with the help of participants in the High-risk and Population Strategy for Occupational Health Promotion Study conducted in Japan for nearly six years. Active and passive smoking status in the workplace was evaluated at baseline. It was seen that out of 6,498 participants (20.9% women), a total of 229 diabetes cases were reported over a median 3.4 years of follow-up.

In the workplace, the hazard ratios of pre-diabetes (glucose intolerance) were seen more among the passive smokers than for the active smokers. Doctors speculate that toxins from tobacco smoke could accumulate in the pancreas, where insulin is produced, thereby affecting even those who are non-smokers.

“The smoke that is released from a cigarette between inhalations is cooler than smoke that is directly inhaled. The chemical reactions which produce this initially un-inhaled smoke mean that some toxins are at higher levels than in the smoke directly inhaled by smokers,” said a doctor in Lok Nayak hospital, New Delhi.

According to Dr Anoop Misra, Director and Head, Department of Diabetes and Metabolism, Fortis Group of Hospitals, such studies become all the more important for women.

“Women who have a smoker husband or in the company of smokers should be careful. Even women who cook with kerosene or using wood (in semi urban and rural areas) also inhale a lot of smoke. Whether the effect of such indoor pollution is also similar to passive smoking needs to be investigated,” he said.

During the last 20 years, the total number of people with diabetes worldwide have risen to 230 million from 30 million. The study has special relevance for India since according to the International Diabetes Federation, India and China have the maximum diabetes patients in the world. The number of people with diabetes is expected to reach 350 million by 2025, with India among the top five most-affected countries.