Yes, it does.
We have all heard of the negative health impact that cigarette smoking has on health, including the increased chance of lung cancer and stroke and much more.
However, did you know that smoking can also raise the likelihood of developing Insulin Resistance, a reversible imbalance of blood glucose and insulin? Left unchecked, Insulin Resistance is often an underlying cause of the cluster of elevated risk factors for heart disease called Metabolic Syndrome (Syndrome X).
A new study looked at the effects of short-term cigarette smoking on Insulin Resistance and lipid profile in healthy adults.
The study examined 44 males and compared fasting glucose, insulin, and lipid profile in 22 smokers and 22 non-smokers.
The results showed the smoking group to have significantly elevated levels of these factors versus the non-smoking group, indicating that smokers are more prone to developing hyperinsulinemia, hyperglycemia and Metabolic Syndrome.
(1) If you suffer from Insulin Resistance and smoke cigarettes, you should think twice about changing your habits.
Although it's a hard habit to shake, you will be astonished by how much better you feel if you quit smoking.
Along with a balanced, nutritious diet and regular exercise, giving up smoking will help you to reverse Insulin Resistance.
We at Insulite Laboratories understand how easy it is to become immune to the health warnings pumped out by the medical community via the media each day.
But the frequency of the messages doesn't diminish the need to take action now before certain weight-related diseases take a firm grip and threaten to ruin your health.
A classic example is the still-largely misunderstood threat posed by Pre-Diabetes, which is often caused by a reversible imbalance of blood glucose and insulin called Insulin Resistance.
This latter condition can underlie excess weight and obesity.
Pre-Diabetes is a condition in which blood sugar levels are elevated beyond normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes.
Fortunately, changes in lifestyle, such as switching to a balanced, nutritious diet and adopting regular exercise to lose weight can prevent Pre-Diabetes developing into the irreversible Type 2 variety.
The latter condition should be avoided if at all possible because, once it takes hold, it can only be managed for the rest of a person's life.
Many Diabetics require daily injections of insulin to control Type 2 Diabetes, which severely increases the risk of blindness, amputation and kidney disease, as well as a heart attack or stroke.
Some 90% of people with Type 2 also suffer from excess weight or obesity.
(1)Gupta V, Tiwari S, Agarwal CG, Shukla P, Chandra H, Sharma P.
, "Effect of short-term cigarette smoking on insulin resistance and lipid profile in asymptomatic adults".
Indian J Physiol Pharmacol.
2006 Jul-Sep;50(3):285-90.
PMID: 17193901