Smoking and alcoholism are two major public health issues, affecting almost every body organ and leading to a wide array of morbidities. Smoking alone has been found to precipitate diseases such as cancer, lung pathologies, the formation of atheromas, and even the development of hypertension. Alcoholism has been associated with liver cancers, cirrhosis, inflammation of the stomach lining, etcetera.
Smoking And Drinking Alcohol
These indulgences have lasting and prolonged impacts on overall health and well-being, exacerbating and potentiating each other’s effects.
Besides these well-established harms, there has been increasing curiosity about understanding whether there is a correlation between smoking and alcoholism and developing adult-onset diabetes mellitus.
Type 2 DM is a chronic metabolic dysfunction that results in a medical condition that causes the development of resistance to insulin by its receptors or a relative decrease in insulin levels. This disease has been known to cause various macro and micro-vascular complications, such as atherosclerosis.
A Mendelian Randomisation study
This study aims at using the Mendelian randomization method to examine the effects of lifelong smoking and alcoholism on the risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus.
The term Mendelian randomization is an epidemiologic and genetic study method used to determine the loose correlation between risk factors (alcoholism and long-term smoking) and health outcomes (DM2).
This study found little evidence of a possible causal effect of lifelong smoking and alcoholism on type 2 DM risk.
Contrary to the expected outcomes, an increase in alcohol intake leads to a reduction of HbA1c levels rather than the increase expected in type 2 DM.
Limitations of Study
Limited population diversity
The failure of this study to establish a causal link between alcoholism, lifetime smoking, and Type 2 DM may be tied to their narrow selection bias of just European subjects.
Measurement errors
Measurement errors in the exposure, such as inaccuracies in reporting the number of cigarette packs smoked, duration of smoking, duration since quitting smoking, and number of drinks consumed per week, may have also influenced the study’s results.
Clinical significance
The establishment of the fact that chronic alcohol use and smoking are weakly associated with type 2 DM development would fundamentally alter our understanding of the risk factors of type 2 DM.
It would lead to a broader exploration of possible influences such as genetics, environment, lifestyle, and diet. Therefore, redirecting attention will be paramount to developing effective prevention and treatment plans.
Conclusion
While no direct connection has been established between chronic smoking and alcohol intake and the development of type 2 DM, it is still advantageous to cut down on or eliminate this behavior. Elimination of these indulgences can significantly improve overall health and prevent the development of other morbidities. Authorities should focus on exploring other factors that could increase the risk of developing Type 2 DM.
References
Reed E. Z., Sallis H. M., Richmond C. R., Attwood A. S., Lawlor D. A., Munafò M. R. (2024). Do smoking and alcohol behaviors influence the risk of type 2 diabetes? A Mendelian randomization study. MedRxiv 2024.07.26.24311054; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.07.26.24311054
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