Diabetes: Quitting smoking has an impact on disease control

There are two forms of diabetes: type 1 diabetes, which is often hereditary, often of autoimmune origin, often occurs in childhood and frequently requires insulin treatment, and type 2 diabetes or adult-onset diabetes, which is often linked to the patient's lifestyle (overweight, metabolic syndrome) and can be controlled by changing lifestyle (diet, stopping smoking, physical exercise).

Smokers have a higher risk (+30 to 40 %) of developing type 2 diabetes than non-smokers and this risk increases with the number of cigarettes smoked per day.

How is smoking linked to diabetes?[1]

Nicotine alters the chemical processes in cells that make them less responsive to insulin, thereby limiting the intracellular penetration of glucose and facilitating the development of type 2 diabetes. This condition is called insulin resistance and results in increased blood sugar levels.

Disease control in diabetic subjects (types 1 and 2) who smoke compared to non-smoking diabetics is more difficult. Finally, diabetic smokers have a higher risk of serious complications than non-smokers:

- Cardiovascular diseases (heart attack, stroke, arteritis of the lower limbs which can lead to infections, skin ulcers with possible amputations)

- Retinopathy (possible blindness)

- Peripheral neuropathy (damaged nerves in the arms and lower limbs causing numbness, pain, weakness, or even paralysis)

- Renal failure