Nicotine culprit in diabetes complications

ANAHEIM, Calif., March 28 (UPI) -- Nicotine is the main culprit responsible for elevated blood sugar levels in people who smoke and have diabetes, U.S. researchers suggest.

Xiao-Chuan Liu of the California State Polytechnic University in Pomona, Calif., says the discovery may have implications for people with diabetes who are using nicotine-replacement therapy for extended periods in an effort to quit smoking.

"It is the first study to establish a strong link between nicotine and diabetes complications," Liu says in a statement. "If you're a smoker and have diabetes, you should be concerned and make every effort to quit smoking."

The gold standard for monitoring long-term blood sugar levels in diabetics is the hemoglobin A1c -- HbA1c -- blood test. Used with daily home blood sugar monitoring, the test reveals the average amount of sugar in the blood during the past several weeks.

"Nicotine caused levels of HbA1c to rise by as much as 34 percent," Liu said in a statement. "No one knew this before. The higher the nicotine levels, the more HbA1c is produced."

Liu pointed out that people tend to use nicotine patches for brief periods and the benefits of quitting smoking may outweigh any risk from HbA1c elevation, but the findings are a concern for long-term use of such products.

The finding was presented at the 241st National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society in Anaheim, Calif.