How does smoking affect the risk of getting diabetes?

Updated on

How does smoking affect the risk of getting diabetes?

If you smoke and think you are otherwise in good health, think again. According to a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, smoking 16 to 25 cigarettes a day increases your risk for Type 2 diabetes to three times that of a non-smoker. The more risk factors a person has, the greater the chances are of developing diabetes.

Other risk factors for Type 2 diabetes include:

  • Family history of diabetes
  • Being of African-American, Hispanic, or Native American race or ethnic background
  • Obesity (20 percent or more over a healthy body weight)
  • Physical stress (including surgery or illness)
  • Use of certain medicines
  • Injury to the pancreas (including infection, tumor, surgery, or accident)
  • Autoimmune disease (person’s immune system attacks the body)
  • Hypertension (high blood pressure)
  • High blood cholesterol or triglyceride levels
  • Age (risk increases with age)
  • Alcohol (risk increases with years of heavy alcohol use)
  • Having gestational diabetes while pregnant or delivering a baby weighing 9 pounds or more

Related posts