Tobacco is one of the most common and preferred forms of addiction. Even though scientific evidences have revealed its harmful health effects, the use of tobacco in different forms has seen a dramatic increase, especially in the developing countries.

This potentially lethal substance is responsible for more than 1 in 10 fatalities globally, with India featuring among the top four users of tobacco. About 11.2 percent smokers worldwide are Indian.

Despite decades of research and strong initiatives for controlling diabetes carried out globally, the number of tobacco users in the world has not seen a declining trend.
Besides cancer, the use of tobacco in any form is also a leading cause of Type-2 diabetes, the most common type of the disease as seen in adults. Research shows that smokers are 30 percent to 40 percent more likely to develop diabetes as compared to non-smokers. This risk doubled with the number of packs of cigarettes smoked per day.
“Naturally occurring tobacco does not have much sugar, the processed forms have added sugars in high amounts. Hence, tobacco raises blood sugar levels and makes it more difficult to manage diabetes. This was not the only problem. While nicotine may seem harmless, it plays havoc on your body by changing the natural cell processes, thus affecting insulin response leading to a condition called insulin resistance. People with insulin resistance need larger and more frequent doses of insulin to control the blood sugar levels in their body,” said Sujata Sharma, Diabetes Educator, BeatO.