{"id":3336,"date":"2023-09-13T12:15:10","date_gmt":"2023-09-13T01:15:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/?p=3336"},"modified":"2024-02-15T09:59:58","modified_gmt":"2024-02-14T22:59:58","slug":"smokinganddiabetesprevention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/health-hub\/smokinganddiabetesprevention\/","title":{"rendered":"Smoking and diabetes: how smoking can affect your blood sugar levels"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Introduction<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Smoking increases your risk of type 2 diabetes\u2014and the more you smoke, the more likely you are to develop type 2 diabetes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this post, we\u2019ll take a closer look at the facts about smoking and diabetes and the links between them. We\u2019ll learn about the complications caused by each, and how the risk of developing those complications increases if a person has diabetes <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> continues to smoke.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019ll also see how giving up smoking can help reduce the risk of complications associated with diabetes and protect your health in general.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cigarette smoking is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A lot of research has been carried out into the links between cigarette smoking and diabetes. The <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a department of the United States Government, has studied this research and found that<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Smoking is an <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">important risk factor for the development <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">of type 2 diabetes.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Smoking is a modifiable risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes. If you quit smoking, you can reduce your risk.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">People who smoke cigarettes are 30\u201340% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than people who don\u2019t smoke.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The more you smoke, the higher your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Smoking makes diabetes harder to manage and increases the risk of developing serious complications.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How smoking increases your risk of type 2 diabetes<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are three main types of diabetes\u2014<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/health-hub\/diabetes-type-difference\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Type 2 diabetes is where the body resists the normal effects of insulin and becomes unable to produce enough of it to meet the body\u2019s needs.\u00a0This can lead to serious problems if blood glucose levels are high for long periods of time. Type 2 is the most common type of diabetes\u2014almost 1.3 million Australians are currently living with it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/health-hub\/signs-of-type-2-diabetes\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The signs of type 2 diabetes<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">frequently needing to urinate<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">increased thirst<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tiredness<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">feeling hungry<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">having cuts that heal slowly.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you have these signs, your doctor can arrange for you to have <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/health-hub\/diabetes-tests\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tests that will determine if you have diabetes<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. However the most common symptom is in fact no symptom at all, so it is good to have regular health checks and to check your personal level of risk based on factors such as smoking.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The good news is that type 2 diabetes can often be prevented or delayed by making lifestyle changes such as eating healthily, being active and quitting smoking.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Quitting smoking is important in the prevention of type 2 diabetes. This is because smoking changes the pancreas&#8217; ability to produce insulin while also contributing to insulin resistance. This causes a build-up of glucose in the blood, which leads to diabetes. Smoking also damages the tissues within our blood vessels, and that plays a major role in the development of heart disease.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The complications of smoking<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Smoking is one of the biggest causes of preventable illness and death in Australia.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Every single puff on a cigarette causes over 7000 chemicals to enter the lungs and then rapidly spread all around the body. These chemicals include 69 carcinogens (substances that produce cancer), and there are 16 types of cancer that can be caused by smoking. These include cancer of the mouth and throat, lung cancer, colon cancer and pancreatic cancer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Smoking also damages your heart and your blood circulation, which increases\u00a0your risk of developing conditions that include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">coronary heart disease (CHD)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">heart attack<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">stroke<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">pneumonia.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Smoking can also reduce the\u00a0fertility of both men and women.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Given these complications, it\u2019s surprising that people continue to smoke; yet they do. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, in 2020-21, one in ten people (10.7% or 2.1 million people) aged 18 years and over were current daily smokers, with men more likely than women to smoke daily (12.6% compared to 8.8%). The smoking rate increased with age until 55-64 years where it peaked at 13.7%, and then declined for older age groups.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The high number of people who continue to smoke despite the well-publicised risks shows how difficult it is to quit.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is because of the effects of nicotine.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The short- and long-term effects of nicotine<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nicotine is a chemical that is contained in tobacco leaves. It is highly addictive, and people smoke in order to experience its short-term effects\u2014or at least some of them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When a person inhales cigarette smoke, it takes less than 10 seconds for nicotine to travel through the bloodstream and reach the brain. Once it arrives there, it works with neurotransmitters (chemicals that allow messages to travel around the brain) to produce temporary feelings of calmness, increased focus and alertness. These are the pleasant sensations that cause people to smoke. The fact that they wear off quickly increases people\u2019s urge to smoke more and more frequently.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nicotine can also have the following short-term effects:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">increased muscle activity<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">headache<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">dizziness\/light-headedness<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">nausea and vomiting<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">abdominal cramps<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">weakness<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">increased heart rate and blood pressure<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Using nicotine regularly over a long period of time (usually via cigarettes) is thought to be involved in the development of:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">high blood pressure<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">periodontitis (gum disease)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">reduced fertility in men and women<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">male sexual dysfunction<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">rheumatoid arthritis<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nicotine use in pregnancy can damage the unborn child\u2019s brain and lungs. It also increases the risk of ectopic pregnancy and stillbirth.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Research suggests that nicotine is a cause of insulin resistance. This is where the body is not able to use insulin as it should, which can lead to people developing pre-diabetes and then, potentially, type 2 diabetes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consuming nicotine over a long period of time can result in dependence, which is where people find it very hard to stop using a substance. This can lead both to the complications of smoking mentioned above and to the complications of type 2 diabetes.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The complications of diabetes<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Diabetes can have serious negative impacts on physical and mental health. The potential complications of types 1 and 2 diabetes include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">heart disease<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">kidney disease<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">stroke<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">poor circulation in the legs and feet<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">eye disease.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">erectile dysfunction<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alzheimers disease<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">hearing impairment<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">nerve damage<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">skin and mouth conditions<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">depression<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">People with type 1 diabetes or type 2 on insulin who smoke may need a larger dose of insulin than non-smokers to manage their glucose levels.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are some facts that show how serious a problem diabetes is:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">People with diabetes are up to four times more likely to experience heart attacks and strokes<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Diabetes is the leading cause of preventable blindness in Australia<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kidney failure is three times more common in people with diabetes<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Amputations are 15 times more common in people with diabetes<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More than 30% of people with diabetes experience depression, anxiety and distress.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If someone has diabetes and also smokes, the risk of these complications increases dramatically. This is one of the many reasons why preventing type 2 diabetes is so important, and the key to this is healthy habits.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Healthy habits to manage blood glucose<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We need glucose (sugar) in our blood as it is our cells\u2019 main source of energy. But blood sugar levels have to be kept within a healthy range, which our body usually does by producing the hormone insulin. Insulin enables the cells to use blood sugar effectively, which stops it from building up too much glucose in the blood.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If insulin becomes unable to do its job or insufficient quantities of it are produced, blood glucose levels go outside the optimal range. When that occurs on a consistent basis, there can be serious consequences. Having too much glucose in the blood (hyperglycaemia) can lead to chronic health conditions such as heart disease and diabetes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Several factors can make our blood glucose levels rise above the optimal range. These include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0 <\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">food\u2014especially the type and amount of carbohydrates we eat<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0 <\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">how physically active we are<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0 <\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">illness<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0 <\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">injury<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0 <\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">medications \u2014missing or delaying usual medications for diabetes, using out-of-date or incorrect doses of medication or injecting incorrectly)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0 <\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">emotional stress.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0The most common symptoms of hyperglycaemia are:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0 <\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">frequently needing to urinate<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0 <\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">increased thirst<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0 <\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tiredness<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0 <\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">weight loss<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0 <\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">blurred vision<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0 <\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">developing infections.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A simple blood test will show how much glucose you have in your blood. It is particularly important to find out if you have hyperglycaemia because, as we mentioned previously,\u00a0 it is associated with the development of type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes (where your blood sugar is high, but not high enough to be classified as diabetes). But other conditions can also cause high blood glucose levels. These include Cushing\u2019s disease and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) or from taking certain medications. For this reason, your doctor may suggest repeating the test.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If pre-diabetes is confirmed, it\u2019s time to take action\u2014this is a condition that can increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 10 to 20 times.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fortunately, if you do take action,<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/health-hub\/type-2-diabetes-prevention\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">type 2 diabetes can be prevented<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in many cases. There are many<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/health-hub\/what-to-do-pre-diabetes\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">things you can do to lower your blood glucose levels if you have pre-diabetes<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, including<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/health-hub\/foods-prevent-diabetes\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">eating a nutritious diet<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Exercise, maintaining a healthy weight, getting enough sleep and finding healthy ways of tackling stress also help.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Medications and insulin for diabetes management<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are many types of medicines that can be used to support the management of diabetes. Their aim is to keep your blood glucose levels within the optimal range to reduce your chances of experiencing complications.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Talk with your doctor about the options available and the benefits to each to find the right treatment for you. This will depend on what type of diabetes you have, your lifestyle and any other health conditions you may have.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Treating type 2 diabetes<\/span><b>\u00a0<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some people who have recently been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes may not need any medication. Others will, especially if making healthy lifestyle changes such as changing their diet, being more active and maintaining a healthy weight are not enough to manage their blood sugar levels.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is a growing number of types of medication that are available. Their doctor may prescribe one or more of those and\/or what is known as supplementary insulin.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Medication<\/span><\/h5>\n<p><b>Metformin<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Metformin is the most common medicine for type 2 diabetes, and is usually the first to be offered. It helps insulin to work effectively and reduces the amount of the glucose that is stored up inside the liver from being released. Metformin is also used to treat gestational diabetes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some people need to take other medicines alongside, or instead of, metformin.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>DPP-4 inhibitors<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014also known as gliptins, these increase the amount of insulin that your pancreas makes and reduce the amount of stored glucose that is released from your liver.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>SGLT2 inhibitors<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014also known as gliflozins, these increase the amount of glucose that is removed from your body in urine.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Sulfonylureas<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014these cause the pancreas to release more of the insulin that\u2019s produced by your body.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Alpha glucosidase inhibitor<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014in Australia there is only one medication (Acarbose) in this class of drug. It works by preventing<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> carbohydrates from being broken down into glucose.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Thiazolidinediones<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014also known as glitazones. Again, there is only one medication of this type available in Australia (pioglitazone). This helps your insulin to work more effectively and reduces insulin resistance.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Non-insulin injectables\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These are medications for type 2 diabetes that are injected and do not contain insulin. What they do is stimulate the pancreas to produce insulin. They also decrease the speed at which your stomach empties, making you feel full for longer and decreasing your appetite.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Non-insulin injectables include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dulaglutide<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Liraglutide<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Semaglutide<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tirzepatide<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Supplementary insulin<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">People who live with type 2 diabetes\u202fmay eventually need insulin injections. This is because, over time, type 2 causes the cells that produce insulin to be less and less efficient. This means that their own insulin will need to be supplemented.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Supplementary insulin is injected using a syringe, pen needle or insulin pump. Your doctor or diabetes specialist will teach you how to do this.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Treating type 1 diabetes<\/span><b>\u00a0<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lifelong insulin replacement is needed as the body produces little or no insulin.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Treating gestational diabetes\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">People with gestational diabetes may be given Metformin or supplementary insulin. Both are safe for mother and baby and are usually stopped after the baby is born.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whichever type of diabetes you have, your doctor will recommend the appropriate\u00a0 treatment for you.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Does the risk of diabetes go away if you stop smoking?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some research has indicated that quitting smoking actually increases the risk of type 2 diabetes. This could be because nicotine is an appetite suppressant, so people who do stop smoking may experience weight gain. Other research suggests that this increased risk of diabetes when you quit only applies to heavy smokers. But even in heavy smokers, the risk of diabetes drops over the long term. After about 10 years, the increased risk of developing diabetes disappears completely.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As soon as a person stops smoking, their body starts to recover from all of its harmful effects. Their risk of heart disease decreases, which is especially beneficial to people living with diabetes.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Conclusion<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tobacco smoke is a modifiable factor for developing diabetes. Smoking also increases the risk of diabetes-related complications in people who are already living with the condition. When you consider that, as well as the damage that smoking does to your health in general, the importance of quitting is clear. But, as we have seen, giving up smoking is not an easy thing to do. Fortunately, help is available: visit <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/quit.org.au\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Quit.org.au<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for resources and support to help you quit smoking. Quit also has counsellors you can speak to.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As well as stopping smoking, there are other things you can do to reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>Life!<\/em><\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0program can help you.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>Life!<\/em><\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0is a free healthy lifestyle program that helps you improve your eating habits, increase your physical activity and manage stress. You can choose from a group course or our telephone health coaching service.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since 2007, over 75,000 Victorians have learnt more about living a healthy life with the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>Life!<\/em><\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> program. It is the largest prevention program of its kind in Australia.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>Life!<\/em><\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0is funded by the Victorian government and managed by Diabetes Victoria.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can take a quick online health test and check your eligibility for the program\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/#health-check\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Sources<\/b><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthline.com\/nutrition\/15-ways-to-lower-blood-sugar\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">15 Easy Ways to Lower Blood Sugar Levels Naturally &#8211; healthline<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cancercouncil.com.au\/news\/there-are-16-cancers-that-can-be-caused-by-smoking\/#:~:text=These%20are%20the%2016%20cancers%20you%20are%20at,Cancer%20of%20the%20cervix%20and%20ovary%20More%20items\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">16 cancers caused by smoking &#8211; Cancer Council NSW<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.abs.gov.au\/statistics\/health\/causes-death\/causes-death-australia\/latest-release\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Causes of Death, Australia, 2021 &#8211; Australian Bureau of Statistics<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/ije\/article\/30\/3\/540\/736926\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cigarette smoking and diabetes mellitus: evidence of a positive association from a large prospective cohort study &#8211; OUP Academic<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/diabetesmyway.nhs.uk\/resources\/internal\/smoking-and-diabetes\/#:~:text=It%20has%20been%20established%20that%20there%20is%20a,body%20so%20they%20do%20not%20respond%20to%20insulin\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Diabetes My Way &#8211; NHS<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aihw.gov.au\/reports\/diabetes\/diabetes-australian-facts\/contents\/diabetes-risk-factors\/smoking\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Diabetes: Australian facts, Smoking &#8211; Australian Institute of Health and Welfare<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/nida.nih.gov\/publications\/research-reports\/tobacco-nicotine-e-cigarettes\/how-does-tobacco-deliver-its-effects\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How does tobacco deliver its effects? &#8211; National Institute on Drug Abuse<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthdirect.gov.au\/insulin-devices\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Insulin and Non-insulin Injection Devices for Diabetes &#8211; Healthdirect<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.verywellmind.com\/bipolar-disorder-symptoms-and-diagnosis-379962\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most Common Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder &#8211; Verywell Mind<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/adf.org.au\/drug-facts\/nicotine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nicotine &#8211; Alcohol and Drug Foundation<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthline.com\/health-news\/heres-how-nicotine-affects-the-body#What-nicotine-does-to-the-brain\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nicotine and Health Effects on the Body &#8211; healthline<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/medicalxpress.com\/news\/2009-06-nicotine-prediabetes-contributes-high-prevalence.html#:~:text=Nicotine%20induces%20prediabetes%2C%20likely%20contributes%20to%20high%20prevalence,between%20cigarette%20smoking%20and%20insulin%20resistance%2C%22%20Friedman%20said\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nicotine induces prediabetes, likely contributes to high prevalence of heart disease in smokers &#8211; medicalxpress.com<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.drugs.com\/sfx\/nicotine-side-effects.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nicotine Side Effects: Common, Severe, Long Term &#8211; Drugs.com<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicalnewstoday.com\/articles\/240820\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nicotine: Facts, effects, and dependency \u2013 Medical News Today<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthdirect.gov.au\/quit-smoking-tips\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Quitting Smoking &#8211; Health Benefits, Quit Plans, Resources &#8211; Healthdirect<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/diabetes\/library\/features\/smoking-and-diabetes.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Smoking and Diabetes &#8211; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.webmd.com\/diabetes\/smoking-and-diabetes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Smoking and Diabetes: What You Should Know &#8211; WebMD<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.verywellmind.com\/taking-care-of-mental-health-with-copd-2825226\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Taking Care of Your Mental Health With COPD &#8211; Verywell Mind<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/ije\/article\/30\/3\/540\/736926\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Health Effects of Nicotine Use on the Brain and Body &#8211; Addiction Resource<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.acog.org\/womens-health\/faqs\/tobacco-alcohol-drugs-and-pregnancy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tobacco, Alcohol, Drugs, and Pregnancy &#8211; ACOG<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.diabetesvic.org.au\/Type-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Type 2 &#8211; Diabetes Victoria<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/conditions\/type-2-diabetes\/understanding-medication\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Type 2 diabetes &#8211; Understanding medicine &#8211; NHS<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthdirect.gov.au\/type-2-diabetes#what-is\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Type 2 Diabetes: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment &#8211; Healthdirect<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.gov.au\/topics\/smoking-and-tobacco\/about-smoking-and-tobacco\/what-are-the-effects-of-smoking-and-tobacco\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What are the effects of smoking and tobacco? &#8211; Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/common-health-questions\/lifestyle\/what-are-the-health-risks-of-smoking\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What are the health risks of smoking?- NHS<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Introduction Smoking increases your risk of type 2 diabetes\u2014and the more you smoke, the more likely you are to develop type 2 diabetes.\u00a0 In this post, we\u2019ll take a closer look at the facts about smoking and diabetes and the links between them. We\u2019ll learn about the complications caused by each, and how the risk of developing those complications increases&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":3337,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3336","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3336","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3336"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3336\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3339,"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3336\/revisions\/3339"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3337"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3336"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3336"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeprogram.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3336"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}