Insulin resistance...thoughts on this study?

[satoshi]

Long-term Use of Nicotine Gum Is Associated With Hyperinsulinemia and Insulin Resistance -- Eliasson et al. 94 (5): 878 -- Circulation

Conclusions These findings suggest that nicotine is the major constituent in cigarette smoke that leads to insulin resistance, metabolic abnormalities associated with the insulin resistance syndrome, and increased cardiovascular morbidity. Thus, the use of nicotine replacement therapy during smoking cessation should be transient and limited.

It's only 20 people, and you have the same or higher risk from using analogs AFAIK. But is this something to be concerned about?

 

[logbas34]

nice article i enjoyed it!

it could be a problem but i would be more worried if that study involved 200 people. while im not saying it was a coincidence, having only 20 people could make it more likely that there genetics were at least some what similar. if that had 200 or 2000 it would make it more diverse, but i could be wrong. just saying (;
it said in there as well that the waist hip ratio could have been from increased alcohol consumption.
that is kinda scary the c-peptide is 100% above normal, although insulin isn't as high ratio, it still could be bad but i guess we'd have to wait and see if anymore study's come out or we (vapers) could get are bloodwork done to see what are levels are.

 

[Happy Domino38]

I'm diabetic and, if anything, my levels have stabilized now that I'm vaping.

 

[lorikay13]

I'm not any kind of medical proffesional so I'm not even qualified to give an opinion. But I did read the study and one thing "jumped" out for me:
They also consumed more alcohol than the nonsmokers.

Also...since they are studying long term users I wondered about the brand of gum itself? Does it have sugar in it and how much?

Since you asked the question....just for myself personally...I'm not concerned. The study was done over ten years ago. Unless I started to see a trend....then I might pay more attention. But in my opinion....even if the study is true/correct...it's talking about nicotine...not vaping. If you love to vape...vape! You can cut out the nicotine any time you want and still enjoy vaping.

I would be more inclined to listen to domino38 and other diabetics.

 

[VangeKnitter]

Thanks for that article. My roommate's son is a diabetic (has been since he was 5). This would be great to tell him.

 

[Vocalek]

Perhaps it is healthier to substitute snus instead of nicotine gum. Health issues with Snus, Health issues with Snus, study, The Swedish experience, Smoking cessation

Type 2 diabetes

Three studies describe the relationship between snus use and insulin resistance or impaired glucose tolerance as it underlies diabetes. The strongest of these studies (Eliasson et al., 2004) Examined the effect of snus use and smoking on the risk of developing type 2 diabetes among 3384 men in a population based cross-sectional and prospective follow-up study (the Northern Sweden MONICA Study). At the onset of the study the prevalence of clinically diagnosed diabetes was significantly higher among current and ex-smokers compared to non-tobacco users. On the other hand the prevalence was not increased among snus users. The prevalence of pathologic glucose tolerance was not significantly elevated among snus users or smokers at the onset of the study. The risk of developing diabetes under the follow-up time period was increased among smokers and ex-smokers but not among those who used snus exclusively. The authors concluded that snus users do not have an increased risk of developing diabetes. This study is the first study in which prospective data show that snus use is not associated with the same increased risk of diabetes as smoking.

 

[silkyfurz]

While looking for something else, I ran across a supplier who gives the option of stevia instead of VG or PG. Wish I could remember who it was.

 

[AlexTM]

That doesn't make sense at all - Stevia is very sweet, even as an extract, you couldn't possibly vape it. Also, as an extract, it would be mostly a carrier - and that's usually water, which is too thin to vape. PG would work very well, too - only, well, it would be PG. Or alcohol, again, too thin though, and you probably should not vape that pure, either.

Besiedes, what would be the advantage of no PG and VG in terms of diabetes?

 

[vapwench]

There is a stevia glycerin, I use it to sweeten my mixes, but yeah, *way* too sweet to use as a base.....

 

[AlexTM]

And still mostly glycerine - also known as VG

 

[poisonette]

I know this is kinda old, but I just found this forum section.

From someone who was once Hyperinsulinemic and now a Type 2 Diabetic AND I have a daughter with Hyperinsulinemia, I've studied this quite a bit, to the point the Dr's can't tell me anything new.

This very small study believes it is the nicotine in the gum that triggers problems.
Personal research, I believe it is gum. Chewing gum triggers the body to release chemicals to aid in the digestion of the gum. The body thinks it is eating. The body releases insulin in preparation for the "food" it thinks it is getting. Since there is no real food, the body must now correct for the insulin it previously released by releasing glucose. Can you see the vicious cycle this presents?
When their's more insulin in the body than it can handle, the body develops a resistance. The longer this condition lasts, the higher the risk for diabetes.
I should note that not everyone's body reacts this way all the time. There are lots of people who can chew gum for hours a day for years with no adverse effects.

 

[Skruf]

I had many of the symptoms of insulin resistance and changed my diet (no refined carbs, lots of protein, small meals). I feel like a new person. Fasting glucose blood tests don't show diabetes according to Physician's assitant., he suspects hypoglycemia.

No matter, I have more energy now, lost abdominal fat and gained muscle mass. In addition, my sleepy after lunch periods are gone, I feel much sharper at work, have better concentration and don't feel fuzzy headed and my memory is improved. Symptoms include (and I had all of them) fatigue, brain fogginess, feeling agitated, moody, jittery, intestinal bloating, sleepiness, increased weight and fat storage (for me in abdomen), depression.

Thought I would add a link I found not too technical on Insulin Resistance: http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/insulin.htm

 

[kinabaloo]

[chewing will stimulate insulin release]

I agree that this is likely a factor in the case of gum. So I wonder if there is evidence of a link with other types of nicotine use. And if analogs are correlated positively with insulin resistance, can a causal relationship really be implied or is there a third factor as cause ?

And what evidence is there that nicotine is the causal factor (in analog smoking) ?

 

[vapeguy123]

While looking for something else, I ran across a supplier who gives the option of stevia instead of VG or PG. Wish I could remember who it was.

I had protein powder with stevia in it, and I got huge rashes on my neck its actually a mutagen so I'd stay away

 

[MagnusEunson]

A quick PubMed and Google Scholar search indicates there are conflicting results on this but the trending result is that nicotine, however administered, increases insulin resistance and eventual prediabetes and heart disease incidents. The irony here is that in people with Type 2 diabetes already or those who are obese and prediabetis already the effects seem to be reverse. A majority of the test subjects across all studies were mice and rats but the human testing, at smaller scales, seems to support both types of findings.

Sooooooo...... yeah. Umm. -Magnus

 

[Old Chemist]

Very interesting findings, Magnus! Being Type 2 diabetic (non insulin still) I have to do some PubMed research, too.

 

[ddavis7426]

http://http://health.usnews.com/hea.../27/nicotine-raises-blood-sugar-levels-in-lab

SUNDAY, March 27 (HealthDay News) -- Smoking is damaging to everyone's health, but the nicotine in cigarettes may be even more deadly for people who have diabetes.

In lab experiments, researchers discovered that nicotine raised blood sugar levels, and the more nicotine that was present, the higher the blood sugar levels were. Higher blood sugar levels are linked to an increased risk of complications from diabetes, such as eye and kidney disease.

"Smoking is really harmful for diabetics. It's even more harmful to them than to a non-diabetic," said study author Xiao-Chuan Liu, an associate professor in the department of chemistry at California State Polytechnic University in Pomona. "This study should encourage diabetics to quit smoking completely, and to realize that it's the nicotine that's raising [blood sugar levels]."

For that reason, it's also important to limit the use of nicotine replacement products, such as nicotine patches, Liu said.

"If you're using them for a short period of time to quit smoking, that's OK. But, if you still have this addiction to nicotine and are using this product long-term, it will do harm. Don't use electronic cigarettes or nicotine gum for a long time. You need to stop nicotine intake," he advised.

Liu is scheduled to present his findings Sunday at an American Chemical Society meeting in Anaheim, Calif.

It was already well-established that smoking increased the risk of problems in people with diabetes, Liu said. What hasn't been clear, he said, is if there is a specfic component of cigarettes that increases the risk.

To test whether or not nicotine, an addictive substance found in cigarette smoke, contributed to higher blood sugar levels, Liu and his colleagues added equal amounts of glucose (sugar) to samples of human red blood cells. They also added varying levels of nicotine to each sample of red blood cells for either one day or two days.

They then tested the hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) levels of the samples. HbA1C is a measure of what percentage of red blood cells have glucose molecules attached to them. In diabetes management, the HbA1C -- sometimes referred to just as A1C -- test gives doctors an idea of average blood sugar levels for the past three months or so. Most people with diabetes strive for a level of 7 percent or less, based on American Diabetes Association guidelines.

The researchers found that nicotine raised HbA1C. The smallest dose increased HbA1C levels by 8.8 percent. The highest dose -- after two days of nicotine treatment -- increased blood sugar levels by 34.5 percent.

"Nicotine is a toxic substance, and our results show that nicotine caused an increase in HbA1C," said Liu. "This is important for the public to know, and for smokers to know. It's not just the cigarette smoke. If you think you can just use a nicotine replacement product indefinitely, there's still a risk, and your chances of getting complications will be a lot higher," he cautioned.

Dr. Joel Zonszein, director of the Clinical Diabetes Center at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, said that the researchers showed that nicotine can significantly raise A1C levels in the lab, but it's important to also know if it does so in the body.

But whether or not nicotine is the specific reason that blood sugar levels are higher in smokers, he said, "Everybody -- whether they have diabetes or not -- should stop smoking. Patients with diabetes already have a much higher risk of cardiovascular disease, and smoking adds to that."

He said that using nicotine replacement products for a month or two is fine. "If nicotine replacement is used for a short period of time with smoking cessation as the goal, there's no risk. But it's not OK if someone plans to replace smoking with nicotine replacement products indefinitely," said Zonszein.

Experts note that research presented at meetings is considered preliminary until it is published in a peer-reviewed journal.

 

[FAAmecanic]

Being a Type 1 diabetic (3 years now...was a Type 2) Im following this thread.

I will say insulin resistance is just the pits.... and the sad thing is once you go Type 1, trying to loose weight is just a pain in the ..... The more insulin you take above what you absolutely need, the harder it is to loose weight (insulin blocks certain chemicals that trigger the fat burning process).

I would have to say since I started vaping and quit smoking I havent noticed a difference in my insulin needs, or my blood sugar levels.