Ex-Smokers Have Higher Diabetes Risk

People who quit smoking sometimes gain weight, and a new study finds that former smokers may face an increased risk of developing diabetes as a result, Reuters reported Jan. 4.

Smoking itself is a risk factor for Type 2 diabetes, but the risk is even higher for former smokers within the first six years of quitting, according to a study from Hsin-Chieh Yeh of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and colleagues. Recent quitters have a 70-percent increased risk of diabetes, researchers found.

The risks were highest in the first three years after quitting, but returned to normal 10 years later.

“If you smoke, give it up. That’s the right thing to do. But people have to also watch their weight,” said Yeh.

The study was published in the Jan. 5, 2010 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.