Reducing Smoking Amounts for Diabetes is Futile... "You Must Quit Completely"

Only Quit Diabetic Patients Reduce Mortality Risk
Reducing Smoking Amount Alone Does Not Bring Health Benefits

Diabetic patients can significantly reduce their risk of myocardial infarction and stroke by quitting smoking, but simply reducing the amount they smoke does not provide any benefits, according to a new study.

A joint research team led by Professor Dongwook Shin from the Department of Family Medicine at Samsung Medical Center and Professors Sumin Jeong and Jeongeun Yoo from the Department of Family Medicine at Seoul National University Hospital analyzed the impact of changes in smoking behavior on cardiovascular disease using 'National Health Insurance data,' announcing their findings on the 3rd.

The research team tracked and observed data from 349,193 patients with type 2 diabetes over five years. This is reportedly the first study to analyze the effect of changes in smoking amount on cardiovascular disease risk specifically in diabetic patients.

The study results were published in the latest issue of the international journal Cardiovascular Diabetology.

The research team divided diabetic patients into five groups based on changes in smoking behavior: △quit smoking group △more than 50% reduction in smoking amount group △20-50% reduction in smoking amount group △smoking amount maintained group △smoking amount increased group. They then analyzed the incidence patterns of cardiovascular disease among these groups.

During the observation period, myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke occurred in diabetic patients at rates of 1.9% and 2.2%, respectively. The overall mortality rate during the same period was 4.3%.

Comparing each group with the average incidence rate among diabetic patients, the research team estimated that diabetic patients who completely quit smoking had a 20% lower risk of myocardial infarction and stroke compared to those who continued smoking.

However, there were no health benefits for groups that simply reduced their smoking amount without quitting completely. In the group that reduced smoking by more than half, the risk of stroke was unchanged compared to the group that maintained their smoking amount. The risk of myocardial infarction was actually 3% higher.

The research team analyzed that diabetic patients must quit smoking completely to reduce mortality risk by 10%, and especially, the risk of death from myocardial infarction and stroke can be lowered by 21% and 34%, respectively.

Diabetes Screening. [Image Source=Yonhap News]

The research team emphasized, "Even at very low levels, smoking can cause harmful effects such as platelet aggregation," adding, "There is no such thing as 'safe smoking' at all."

The team recommended that individuals diagnosed with diabetes who smoke should prioritize quitting smoking. The study found that health benefits become clear about two years after quitting smoking.

The research team stressed, "The longer the duration of diabetes, the greater the risk of stroke and myocardial infarction," and added, "Lifestyle improvements through smoking cessation are essential upon diabetes diagnosis."

Meanwhile, the main causes of death among diabetic patients are known to be cardiovascular complications such as stroke and myocardial infarction. Therefore, if diabetic patients smoke, their risk of death may increase further. Smoking itself is a cause that raises the risk of cardiovascular disease in the general adult population.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.