In Other Journals

Cigarette smoking — whether active or passive — may play a role in the development of glucose intolerance, suggest US researchers. They followed over 4500 young adults for 15 years as part of the Coronary Artery Risk Development In young Adults (CARDIA) study, looking at the relationship between smoking and glucose intolerance. A dose-response effect was found — increasing pack-years of smoking was linked with an increased risk of developing glucose intolerance. Further, those with passive tobacco smoke exposure were at greater risk than previous smokers. The researchers said passive smoke contains similar toxins to active smoke but is produced at different temperatures and different reducing conditions; thus, some toxic substances are even more concentrated in passive smoke. Smoking has previously been linked with chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer, suggesting that tobacco smoke may be directly toxic to the pancreas.