The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today unveiled nine graphic health warnings which will be required to appear on every pack of cigarettes sold in the United States and in every cigarette advertisement beginning no later than September 2012. This bold measure will help prevent children from smoking, encourage adults who do to quit, and ensure every American understands the dangers of smoking. The new FDA warnings represent the most significant changes to cigarette labels in more than 25 years.
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eople with diabetes should be especially aware of the dangers of smoking since smoking raises blood sugar levels. Elevated blood sugar levels increase the risk of diabetes complications like heart disease, diabetic retinopathy, and neuropathy. Research presented earlier this year by Xiao-Chuan Liu, a professor of chemistry at the California State Polytechnic University showed that nicotine, when added to human blood samples, raised levels of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) by as much as 34%. Liu’s study also implied that if you are a smoker, and not diabetic, your chances of developing diabetes is higher.
To view all of the new FDA cigarette health warnings click here.
Dear BSC,
Thank you for your comment. We have checked the matter with Prof. Liu who replied that the information about his research is correct.
Best Wishes,
The Editors
I have to tell you, this is a misinterpretation of the research by Liu. Liu found that nicotine distorted the glycation rate, making the A1c test appear higher than is should have been for the presented blood sugar concentration. His research did not examine how nicotine affected blood sugar levels. If anything, this would suggested that smokers with an A1c that is high enough to be diagnosed diabetic may in fact not be diabetic at all.
@Scott: I don’t understand your need to comment on whether or not this is related to diabetes. Maybe one diabetic will see this and learn for the first time that smoking raises blood sugar. Maybe not everyone is as informed as you are. From this I learned both about the new warnings and that nicotine raises blood sugar levels. Everyone knows smoking is bad for you, but not everyone knows it’s especially bad for diabetics. I think it’s great that someone weaved that information into the new cigarette warning news.
With all due respect, I do not believe this is diabetes-related in any way, shape or form. Claiming that “people with diabetes should be especially aware of the dangers of smoking since smoking raises blood sugar levels” is akin to stating that people with diabetes should avoid any situation that causes stress, as stress can raise and can sometimes reduce blood sugar levels, which can be detrimental to glycemic control. This may be interesting news, but is not diabetes related.