4.11 Secondhand smoke and diabetes

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As noted above, individuals with existing diabetes are at greater risk of developing coronary heart disease if exposed to secondhand smoke.19

There is early research suggesting that the risk of developing glucose intolerance (an indicator of high risk for developing type 2 diabetes) is increased in adults exposed to secondhand smoke over a 15-year period. This study showed that current smokers had the highest rate of development of glucose intolerance, followed by never smokers exposed to secondhand smoke, and unexposed never smokers.62 However further investigation is required into this association.

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