A new study indicates that people exposed to second hand smoke face an increased likelihood of developing glucose intolerance, a precursor to diabetes.
While it was previously known that smokers faced an increase risk, this is the first study to show that those who are expose to smoke on a regular basis also face similar problems. In fact, people regularly exposed to second hand smoke were nearly as likely as smokers to develop glucose intolerance.
'These findings support a role for both active and passive smoking in the development of glucose intolerance in young adulthood,' said Thomas Houston of the Birmingham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, the lead researcher of the study.
'We identified passive tobacco exposure in never-smokers as a new risk factor for glucose intolerance,' he added.
The results of the study were published in the on line edition of the 'British Medical Journal.'
People who suffer from glucose intolerance can still produce insulin, which the body uses to properly digest sugars. However, their bodies are no longer producing enough to control their blood sugar levels.
The study involved following the impact of smoking on 4,572 men and women in four American cities over 15 years.
The results found that smokers had a 22 percent chance of developing glucose intolerance while those exposed regularly to second hand smoke had a 17 percent chance. Those who had quit smoking had only a 14 percent chance of developing glucose intolerance while non-smokers only became glucose intolerant 12 percent of the time.
'We found that tobacco exposure is associated with the development of glucose intolerance over a 15 year period, with a dose-response effect apparent,' Houston explained.
This study shows yet another health risk associated with smoking and exposure to second hand smoke.
