Smoking is a risk factor for prediabetes, or slightly elevated blood sugar levels. Why this is remains to be discovered. Scientists at University Hospital in Basel and other research institutions in Switzerland, compared smoking vaporesso and prediabetes in young adults to learn whether nicotine dependence could be a factor in the development of the condition.

Their study, reported on in the Swiss Medicine Weekly in October 2014, included 2142 non-obese individuals without diabetes, between 25 and 41 years of age. It was found…

• 31.2 percent of current smokers were prediabetic,
• 20.9 percent of past smokers, were prediabetic, and
• 21.2 percent of never smokers had the condition.

To put it another way, current smokers had an 82 percent higher risk of prediabetes than did non-smokers. Participants with…

• less than 5 pack years of smoking had a 34 percent higher risk of prediabetes than non-smokers.
• individuals with 5 to 10 pack years of smoking had an 80 per cent higher risk, and
• current smokers had more than two and a half times the risk of having prediabetes as did non-smokers.

From these results it was concluded smoking is clearly associated with prediabetes and nicotine dependence could be the cause of the association.

In 2008 the journal Medicina reported the results of a study on the environment and childhood diabetes. It was found more than half the prediabetic children in the study came from homes where there was smoking indoors.

There is a long list of good reasons for not smoking, and prevention of prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes is likely to be a valid addition to the list. For individuals who already have diabetes, not smoking is even more important…

• diabetic patients are vulnerable to heart and blood vessel disease, so staying smoke free is important to avoid risking the possibility of heart attacks and strokes.
• diabetics are susceptible to tooth and gum disease, which can be associated with smoking.
• certain kinds of cancer are also associated with both smoking and diabetes, so don’t start smoking and – quit if you need to.