A new European study has found that using nicotine products, whether through smoking, vaping, or nicotine pouches appears to raise the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Researchers analysed data from thousands of people in Sweden and Norway and found that nicotine users were more likely to develop all four subtypes of the disease. The strongest link was with severe insulin-resistant diabetes (SIRD), where both current and former smokers doubled their risk compared to non-smokers.
Ever-smokers also faced a 20% higher risk of severe insulin-deficient diabetes (SIDD), a 27% higher risk of mild age-related diabetes (MARD), and a 29% higher risk of mild obesity-related diabetes (MOD).
Even non-smoked forms of nicotine, such as snus or pouches, were linked to greater risk, suggesting nicotine itself plays a major role.
The study challenges the idea that certain nicotine products are safer, pointing instead to the importance of avoiding all nicotine to reduce diabetes risk.
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