Research Confirms Smoking Elevates Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Across All Subtypes
New research reveals that smoking significantly elevates the risk of developing all subtypes of type 2 diabetes, emphasizing the importance of quitting smoking for prevention.
Recent research presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) annual meeting in Vienna has underscored the significant link between smoking and the development of type 2 diabetes (T2D), regardless of the disease's subtype. T2D is a complex condition with variations such as severe insulin-resistant diabetes (SIRD), characterized by resistance to insulin; severe insulin-deficient diabetes (SIDD), marked by a lack of insulin; mild obesity-related diabetes (MOD); and mild age-related diabetes (MARD). The study involved data from over 3,300 individuals with T2D and nearly 3,900 controls from long-term Norwegian and Swedish studies.
Findings revealed that both current and former smokers had a higher risk of developing all four subtypes of diabetes compared to those who never smoked. The strongest association was observed with SIRD, where ever smokers were over twice as likely to develop this subtype. Heavy smoking, defined as 15 or more pack-years, further increased the risk across all subtypes, with heavy smokers being 2.35 times more likely to develop SIRD.
Additionally, the study found that Scandinavian men using snus, a smokeless tobacco product, had increased risks of SIRD and SIDD. The research also explored genetic susceptibility, indicating that individuals with a genetic predisposition to T2D, insulin resistance, or impaired insulin secretion were more vulnerable if they smoked heavily. For example, heavy smokers with high genetic risk for reduced insulin secretion had more than triple the risk of developing SIRD.
In conclusion, the research emphasizes that smoking is a major risk factor for all forms of type 2 diabetes, especially for subtypes involving insulin resistance. The findings highlight the importance of smoking cessation for diabetes prevention and suggest that genetic information can help identify individuals who may benefit most from quitting. These insights reinforce public health efforts to reduce smoking as a key strategy in combating the growing global burden of diabetes.
Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-diabetes-characteristics.html
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