Nicotine and Insulin Resistance: When the Smoke Clears

摘要

Although cigarette smoking is associated with insulin resistance and an increased risk for type 2 diabetes (1), few studies have examined the metabolic and molecular effects of smoking cessation in humans. Epidemiological data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study in middle-aged men and women offer several insights into the relationship between smoking cessation and diabetes. This study suggests that individuals who quit smoking are at increased risk of type 2 diabetes and that this risk is highest in the first 2 years after smoking cessation, but that risk declines after this point until no excess risk is observed at 12 years after cessation.