Smoking Linked to Higher Risk of All Subtypes of Type 2 Diabetes

Smoking Linked to Higher Risk of All Subtypes of Type 2 Diabetes
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A large-scale study has found that smoking significantly increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes across all its major subtypes, regardless of the underlying cause. Researchers from Sweden, Norway, and Finland analyzed long-term health data from 3,325 diabetes patients and 3,897 control participants.

Their findings showed that both current and former smokers were more likely to develop each of the four main subtypes of type 2 diabetes than non-smokers. The risk was especially pronounced for severe insulin-resistant diabetes (SIRD), where former smokers were more than twice as likely to be affected.

The study estimated that smoking accounted for over one-third of SIRD cases, compared with less than 15 percent in other subtypes. Heavy smoking — equivalent to 20 cigarettes a day for 15 years — was linked to a sharply elevated risk across all forms of the disease.

Lead researcher Emy Kisendahl of the Karolinska Institute said the results highlight smoking as a major preventable factor in diabetes risk. The study was presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) annual meeting in Vienna.