The Worrying Truth About Smoking and Insulin Resistance

If you have diabetes, avoid smoking or even being around cigarette smoke, as the harmful chemicals can be especially damaging.

Smoking can affect how your body uses insulin, which is already in short supply for those with diabetes. It can cause your blood sugar levels to spike, making it dangerous for anyone with the condition. 

Quitting smoking is a crucial move for your overall health, especially if diabetes runs in your family or you’re worried about how smoking might affect your insulin resistance.

Let’s take a look into how smoking and insulin resistance are linked, and why it’s yet another reason to quit for good.

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The Impact of Cigarette Smoke on Insulin Levels

Cigarette smoke is behind so many diseases, so it’s no surprise it affects your insulin levels too. 

If you have type 2 diabetes, quitting smoking or giving up nicotine altogether is a must.

This condition causes high blood sugar due to insulin resistance, which happens when nicotine interferes with how your blood cells respond to insulin.

The chemicals in cigarette smoke can also damage your blood cells over time, leading to inflammation and making insulin less effective.

If you’re diabetic and still smoking, your insulin treatments might not work as well because of the nicotine.

It’s important to quit smoking sooner rather than later, regardless of whether you have diabetes or not, as this will help your body get back to proper regulation of blood sugar levels.

What Does It Mean for Non-Diabetic Smokers?

It’s worth pointing out that even if you don’t have diabetes, that doesn’t mean you should feel free to smoke cigarettes as much as you like.

In fact, smoking is a habit best avoided by everyone because life is just so much better without it. 

However, if you find yourself frequently exposed to secondhand smoke and are dealing with insulin issues, you might notice some concerning effects, such as:

Secondhand Smokers Can Have Higher Insulin Resistance

Aside from enduring the dangers of cigarette smoke to their heart, lungs, stomach, and other parts of the body, secondhand smokers may also experience higher insulin resistance. 

If someone smokes in shared enclosed spaces every day, you may develop insulin resistance as remnants of nicotine and chemicals in cigarette smoke cause the same effects as it would to any smoker.

It would be best if anyone smoking in your household consumes tobacco outdoors or in open areas for everyone’s safety, or better yet, stop smoking for good.

Smoking Cessation Can Lead to Better Insulin Sensitivity

Tobacco smoking remains the leading preventable cause of death and disease in Australia, so it’s no surprise that many studies suggest that stopping smoking can minimise the risks of diseases in the future – even avoiding it in most cases.

In the context of insulin sensitivity and diabetes, studies have shown that insulin sensitivity in former smokers has significantly increased after they’ve finally kicked the ciggies out of their lives.

One explanation for this is that their blood cells have corrected their response to insulin, plus the fact that they have fewer inflamed cells and blood vessels, allowing insulin to improve its effectiveness.

Healthy Lifestyle and Diets Improve Insulin Levels

If you’re non-diabetic but you’re smoking, there’s still a strong chance you could have high insulin resistance as you age. 

Even by consuming less processed and sugary food, your blood cells will respond differently to insulin, and your blood vessels can constrict due to the inflammatory effects of chemicals in cigarette smoke.

Furthermore, even if you’re making wise choices about your diet but still smoke, you may retain more fat than others who have the same diet due to your higher insulin resistance.

How Smoking Impacts Your Diet

Now that we know how smoking directly impacts your insulin resistance, let’s take a look at how smoking indirectly increases your risk of diabetes and weight gain.

Craving for More Flavour

One of the ways smoking influences dietary habits is by altering taste perceptions. Chemicals in cigarette smoke can dull taste buds, making you crave intensely flavoured or high-calorie foods to compensate. 

This often results in the consumption of unhealthy, calorie-dense foods, such as processed snacks, sugary treats, and fatty meals, primary contributors to insulin resistance and diabetes.

Unrestricted Eating

Research suggests that smokers are more likely to engage in mindless eating and have less control over portion sizes compared to non-smokers. 

This lack of dietary restraint can lead to overeating and the consumption of excessive calories, further exacerbating the risk of weight gain and metabolic disturbances like insulin resistance—a precursor to type 2 diabetes.

Higher Alcoholic Consumption

Many smokers report an increased desire to drink alcohol, either due to social influences or as a means to enhance the pleasurable effects of smoking. 

Excessive alcohol intake not only adds empty calories but also disrupts blood sugar levels, increasing the risk of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. 

Furthermore, alcohol can impair judgement, leading to poor dietary choices and decreased adherence to dietary guidelines, compounding the adverse effects on metabolic health.

Increases Comorbidity Levels

Smoking increases the risk of developing comorbidities, including cardiovascular diseases and respiratory disorders, which can further impact your metabolism. 

Anyone with these conditions may face dietary restrictions or alterations due to their health status, causing significant dietary imbalances and increasing the risk of diabetes.

Summary

There’s no doubt that nothing good ever comes from your smoking and insulin resistance. However, stopping smoking (even if you don’t have diabetes) brings not only great help to your blood sugar levels and a significant reduction to your risk of developing diabetes, but also the host of other health problems you can prevent after kicking the ciggies.

We know that stopping smoking can be hard. We understand that, and that’s why we’re always here to help.

Smokefree Clinic gives you access to many medically reviewed and trustworthy resources that can inform and aid you in your path to wellness, so have a look around! 

If you’re ready to get started, Smokefree can connect you to friendly Australian healthcare professionals who excel in helping patients quit smoking for good.

Link Reference

• https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/library/features/smoking-and-diabetes.html
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3501865/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1554996/