You heard it first here: nicotine, main culprit in diabetes complications among smokers

This important study was presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society in Anaheim on March 27, 2011.
Xiao-Chuan Liu, Ph.D., who presented the results said. “It is the first study to establish a strong link between nicotine and diabetes complications. If you’re a smoker and have diabetes, you should be concerned and make every effort to quit smoking.”
I would add that if you have any family history of diabetes or you have symptoms of pre-diabetes such as weight gain around your middle, hypoglycemic spells, mood swings and other mood issues such as depression, then you should stop smoking immediately. And if you have been using the nicotine replacement products for some time, more than a few weeks, you should stop them too and find an alternative....like acupuncture or laser, or a precription from your doctor.


ANAHEIM, March 27, 2011 — Scientists today reported the first strong evidence implicating nicotine as the main culprit responsible for persistently elevated blood sugar levels — and the resulting increased risk of serious health complications — in people who have diabetes and smoke.
“Nicotine caused levels of HbA1c to rise by as much as 34 percent,” said Liu, who is with California State Polytechnic University in Pomona, Calif. “No one knew this before. The higher the nicotine levels, the more HbA1c is produced.”

HbA1c is a form of red blood cell that shows an average of the blood sugar over 3 months or 120 days. It can show if one has an elevation of the blood sugar over time and so is useful in determening pre-diabetes and diabetes in those whose fasting blood sugar may not be elevated.

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To your health
Dr. Barbara