Smoking, because of the numerous hazardous compounds it contains, as well as passive smoking, have been shown to have detrimental consequences on the cardiovascular and metabolic systems. When it comes to diabetic complications (micro- and macro-angiopathy), cardiovascular disease, and metabolic syndrome, smoking raises the risk by a factor of two to three times.
The Harmful Effects of Tobacco on the Diabetic Smoker!
It is believed that nicotine has an addictive impact on the brain, which accounts for the mechanism of tobacco addiction. Nicotine reaches the brain after 15 seconds of inhalation and stays concentrated in brain tissue for an average of 2 hours following inhalation. Apart from that, the absence of as well as the urge to smoke another cigarette re-emerge.
Nicotine acts on nerve receptors in the brain, boosting dopamine levels, a hormone that is implicated in the mechanisms of satisfaction and reward. Nicotine is a psychoactive drug. This is the well known pleasure that cigarettes provide, which is swiftly followed by a sense of unhappiness and a sense of lack, driving the smoker to light up again.
It is precisely this conflicting impact, this paradoxical injunction, that contributes to the phenomena of rising stress and cigarette addiction, both of which are becoming more prevalent as time goes on. As previously said, tobacco is also linked to the metabolic syndrome, a group of illnesses that involves alterations in the processes of control of fat metabolism as well as decreased glucose tolerance as well as obesity, hypertension, and other symptoms.
The Effects of Tobacco on Insulin!
Nicotine also has the additional effect of increasing the levels of other hormones known as catecholamines (including adrenaline). The action takes place at the cellular level: studies have revealed that these hormones modify the systems involved in the creation of insulin and the transfer of glucose into cells, among other functions.
Insulin sensitivity and secretion are both altered by catecholamines, as is the case with many other drugs. When it comes to adrenaline, it raises the heart rate, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels!
The Effects of Tobacco on the Mechanism of Fat Regulation!
Tobacco also raises the level of triglycerides in the blood. In the bloodstream, triglycerides are fats that are transported. They are absorbed during feeding and then placed in reserve since there is an excess of what is required. Cardiovascular disease or other disorders of the arteries are indicated by a high level of triglycerides in the bloodstream.
Smokers, on the other hand, have a higher overall mortality rate. Additionally, some smokers have elevated amounts of fatty acids, which are formed from lipids and which compete with glucose as an energy source, in addition to lower levels of good cholesterol (HDL-cholesterol).
Effects of Tobacco on the Abdominal Circumference!
Smokers, without a doubt, tend to weigh less than non-smokers. While their abdominal fat mass (at equal weight) is larger, this is owing to the effects of smoke on fat metabolism and the storage of these fats at the abdomen level, which are both caused by the use of tobacco.
The buildup of fat in the abdomen, rather than the BMI (body mass index), is known to be associated with an increased risk of coronary and cardiovascular disease.
Indirect Effects of Tobacco on Food
Smoking has an indirect impact on one’s eating habits as well. It is possible that smoking is related with a relative loss of taste and smell, which may cause preferences to shift in favor of tastier meals that are frequently higher in harmful fats (Saturated Fatty Acids) and saltier. What is increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease is increasing the risk even more.
Effects of Tobacco on Diabetes Complications
With such negative effects on the metabolic system and the arteries, there is concern that diabetic smokers would face greater risks of diabetes complications, as well as an earlier start of these issues. Some of these dangers have already been demonstrated (this is the case for macrovascular complications such as stroke or myocardial infarction, for example).
Others, particularly in the context of microvascular problems, are highly suspected (neuropathy, for example, difficulty in healing in case of foot wounds, nephropathy, retinopathy). Studies have previously demonstrated the structural alterations that tobacco has on several organ functions, such as kidney function.
In people with diabetes, smoking increases the risks of:
- mortality nearly 50%
- coronary disease (with risk of accidents such as myocardial infarction)
- myocardial infarction by 51%
- stroke by 54%
- peripheral arterial disease by 115%
- heart failure by 43 %
To summarize: a long-term smoker develops a lower glucose intolerance, is less sensitive to insulin, and subjects his arteries (through the toxic effects of nicotine, carbon monoxide, and other chemicals contained in cigarettes) to inflammation and alterations in their wall structure as well as to oxidative stress (type of attack on the constituents of the cell).
Only a minority of people who stop smoking gain a significant amount of weight. In reality, the average weight gain for women is 4.5 kg and for men it is 2.3 kg, which is a tiny rise when compared to the benefits that quitting smoking will give for diabetes and the overall health of the patient.
Quitting smoking has a significantly longer lasting influence on stress and hunger than does continuing to use tobacco products does. Following a few years or even a few months of not smoking, many former diabetic smokers report sleeping better, eating less, and being less stressed than they were before they quit.
Tobacco In Women: Specific Risks!
Women who smoke are more likely to develop gestational diabetes than those who do not. The chance of intrauterine development retardation, which is also a risk factor for overweight and abdominal obesity as well as type 2 diabetes is also increased by smoking (probable epigenetic mechanism).
Cigarette use in conjunction with pill use increases the risk of myocardial infarction by tenfold and the risk of cerebrovascular accident by twentyfold, and tobacco use is the primary factor contributing to these increases. Phlebitis is more likely to occur in this situation.
Smoking during pregnancy raises the likelihood of difficulties, as well as the fragility of the unborn child. Passive smoking increases the risk of type 2 diabetes in children by 22 percent, while active smoking increases the risk by 34 percent. Women who smoke have a higher risk of type 2 diabetes in their children.
The increasing incidence of coronary heart disease can be attributed to the link between smoking, obesity, and type 2 diabetes, among other factors. For a diabetic, quitting smoking is consequently an essential element of his or her therapy. In order to be effective, this is an absolute necessity that must be done immediately.