Effect of Smoking on the Prevalence of Insulin Resistance-Associated Cardiovascular Risk Factors Among Finnish Men in Military Service

Abstract

Background Obesity, central obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia and hyperinsulinemia tend to cluster in the same individuals as a metabolic syndrome; smoking has an adverse effect on insulin resistance. The aim of our study was to examine the occurrence of clusters of insulin-resistanceassociated abnormalities and the effect of smoking on this clustering in young men.Methods In 1995 we invited all the 1268 servicemen attending military service in the Ostrobothnian Brigade, Finland, for screening of the metabolic syndrome. The first phase consisted of an interview concerning smoking and measurements of blood pressure, weight, height, waist and hip circumferences. If diastolic pressure was > 85 mmHg, body mass index > 27 or waist-to-hip ratio > 0.98, these participants were invited to blood samples for the measurements of fasting serum lipids, plasma glucose and insulin. These results were obtained from 144 screening-positive men (1 2%) and from their 79 (7%) randomly selected controls. ResultsThe metabolic syndrome, defined as plasma insulin 2 13.0 mU/I and serum triglycerides 2 1.70 mmol/l and/or total cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol > 5.0, was present in 10% (n = 14) of the screening-positive participants. None of the randomly selected controls had the metabolic syndrome. The metabolic syndrome was present in 12% (n= 1 1 ) of 9 3 smokers and in 2% (n=3) of 128 non-smokers (P=O.O04). ConclusionsWe conclude that clusters of metabolic abnormalities associated with insulin resistance are already present in young men, and that the prevalence of these clusters in smokers is sixfold compared with non-smokers.

Prevalence of metabolic syndrome and associated risk factors among Turkish adults: Trabzon MetS study

“…Current smoking is a significant independent risk factor for the MetS in both women and men [7,31,39,40]. In other studies, the significant association between MetS and smoking has not been observed [24,28,30].…”

“…Cigarette smoking may also cause high blood pressure by increasing sympathetic activity, and it may elevate triglyceride levels [43]. The clustering of metabolic abnormalities associated with insulin resistance has been shown to be sixfold higher in smokers than in non-smokers [40]. However, this releationship has not been clarified, and reports on this issue are also scarce.…”

Prevalence of dyslipidemia and associated risk factors among Turkish adults: Trabzon lipid study

“…Smoking is known to impair insulin action and may lead to insulin resistance [51]. The inverse relationship between cigarette smoking and weight is also well documented [23].…”

Detrimental metabolic effects of combining long-term cigarette smoke exposure and high-fat diet in mice

“…This occurs across the lifespan, and a higher incidence of cardiovascular risk linked to insulin resistance was observed in young male smokers compared with nonsmokers (49). Both obesity and cigarette smoking are also important risk factors in many age-related diseases, accelerating the aging process via increasing oxidative stress and inflammation (51).…”