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Nicotine raises blood sugar among diabetic smokers: Study

Researchers have found that nicotine is the main culprit responsible for persistently elevated blood sugar levels — and the resulting increased risk of serious health complications — in smokers who have diabetes.

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Researchers have found that nicotine is the main culprit responsible for persistently elevated blood sugar levels — and the resulting increased risk of serious health complications — in smokers who have diabetes.

They said the discovery also might have implications for people with diabetes who are using nicotine-replacement therapy for extended periods in an attempt to stop smoking.

"This is an important study. 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,” said Xiao-Chuan Liu.

The gold standard for monitoring long-term blood sugar levels in people with diabetes is the hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) blood test.

Doctors have known for years that smoking increases the risk of developing complications. Studies also show that smokers with diabetes have higher levels of HbA1c than nonsmokers with diabetes. However, nobody knew the exact substance in cigarette smoke responsible for the elevation in HbA1c.

Liu and colleagues suspected it may be nicotine and set out to check nicotine's effects on HbA1c. Using human blood samples, they showed that concentrations of nicotine similar to those found in the blood of smokers did, indeed, raise levels of HbA1c.

The findings were presented at the 241st national meeting and exposition of the American chemical society.

 

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