Quitting smoking briefly deteriorates diabetes control

               "Knowing that deterioration in blood glucose control occurs around the time of quitting smoking helps to prepare those with diabetes and their clinicians become proactive in tightening their glycaemic control during this time," said principal investigator Deborah Lycett from Coventry University.

The research team examined the primary care records of 10,692 adult smokers with Type-2 diabetes over six years to investigate whether or not quitting was associated with altered diabetes control.

The study found that in the 3,131 (29 percent) people who quit and remained abstinent for at least one year, HbA1c which is an average measurement indicating how well the body is controlling blood glucose levels increased by 2.3mmol/mol (millimoles/moles) or 0.21 percent before decreasing gradually as abstinence continued.In the same period, 5,831 (55 percent) continual smokers who did not change their smoking status during the study experienced a more gradual increase in HbA1c