Smoking and diabetes in Chinese men

Abstract

Smoking is a major cardiovascular risk factor and cause of death. Diabetes mellitus is also associated with an increased mortality and morbidity. Evidence concerning whether smoking increases the incidence of diabetes remains conflicting. Glycaemic status and smoking habits were analysed in 3718 Chinese subjects in order to assess the possible association between smoking and risk of diabetes in the Chinese population. The World Health Organisation 1998 criteria were used for the diagnosis of glucose intolerance. Smoking was defined as current cigarette smoking or ex-smoking without regard to daily consumption. The smoking habits of the studied subjects were correlated with glycaemic status. There were 3003 (80.8%) women and 715 (19.2%) men. The mean age (SD) was 38.4 (12.8) years (median 35.0, range 12-88 years). Of the 3718 subjects, 786 (21.1%) had diabetes, 708 (19.1%) had impaired glucose tolerance, and 2224 (59.8%) had normal results. Of the 3003 women, only 87 (2.9%) were smokers. The female smokers were younger, heavier, and had higher alcohol consumption than non-smokers. The prevalence of diabetes was similar between female smokers and non-smokers after adjustment for age, body mass index, family history of diabetes, and alcohol. Of the 715 men, 175 (24.5%) were smokers. The male smokers were younger, had lower blood pressure, and higher alcohol consumption. After adjustment for age, body mass index, family history of diabetes and alcohol, the male smokers had lower blood pressure, higher one hour plasma glucose, and more diabetes. Using logistic regression analysis (stepwise forward) with age, body mass index, alcohol, smoking, and family history of diabetes as independent variables to predict the risk of having diabetes, age and body mass index are independently associated with diabetes in both men and women. In addition, smoking is independently associated with the risk of diabetes in men, the odds ratio (95% confidence interval, CI) being 1.705 (1.106 to 2.630). Family history of diabetes is independently associated with the risk of diabetes in women, and the odds ratio (95% CI) is 1.643 (1.314, to 2.053). In conclusion, it was found that smoking is independently associated with diabetes after adjustment for age, body mass index, alcohol, and family history of diabetes in Hong Kong Chinese men, the odds ratio being 1.7. The prevalence of smoking in Hong Kong Chinese women is low and its association with diabetes is inconclusive. (Postgrad Med J 2001;77:240-243)

Risk associations of obesity with sugar-sweetened beverages and lifestyle factors in Chinese: the ‘Better Health for Better Hong Kong’ health promotion campaign

“…Although many studies suggested an inverse relationship between obesity and smoking, especially when the definition of smoking included ex-smoking, the present finding is in accord to our previous study with 3718 Chinese (Ko et al, 2001) that female smokers had higher BMI than non-smokers (women: 25.8 vs 24.7 kg/m 2 , Po0.05; men: 25.4 vs 25.0 kg/m 2 , P: NS). In this regard, several studies have shown that smoking increased risk of diabetes by 30% in a dose-dependent manner (Chen et al, 2008).…”

Cigarette Smoking is Negatively Associated with Family Average Income Among Urban and Rural Men in Regional Mainland China

“…Recent prevalence of cigarette smoking among adult men in Mainland China has been recorded as 63.0% (Yang et al, 1999), which is much higher than in western countries (Ford, Malarcher, Herman, & Aubert, 1994;Haire-Joshu, Glasgow, & Tibbs, 1999;Hill & White, 1995;Ko, Chan, Tsang, Critchley, & Cockram, 2001;Malarcher et al, 1995). China, as the greatest producer and consumer of cigarettes in the world, bears a large proportion of the global burden of tobacco-related diseases (Office on Smoking and Health, 1986).…”

Cigarette Smoking and the Risk of Gestational and Pregestational Diabetes in Two Consecutive Pregnancies

“…With few exceptions, however, nearly all of these studies have examined the association primarily among middleaged individuals and most often among men; studies conducted among younger women have been scarce. In addition, the association with type 2 diabetes has not always been evident among women, even in populations in which a positive association has been observed among men (6,17,18). Cigarette smoking is common in pregnant and nonpregnant women (8), and even a modest association with GDM or PDM among women of childbearing age would be of public health importance.…”