Snus linked with diabetes

Researchers in Sweden have said that the use of snus increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, according to a story on bbc.com.

The researchers, from Umea University, Lund University and the Karolinska Institute, followed 54,500 snus users between 1990 and 2013 to compile the study.

They said that one or more pots of snus a day increased the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 70 percent, though there was no mention in the story what that risk was.

However, it was said that the risk of consuming one or more pots of snus a day was the same as that created by smoking a pack of cigarettes a day.

The story said that the link between snus and diabetes was nicotine, which could hamper the body’s sensitivity to insulin.

Dr Sofia Carlsson, a researcher at the Karolinska Institute, reportedly told The Local newspaper that the current picture in Sweden was that snus use was not as dangerous as smoking, and that there was some evidence for that, though there hadn’t been that many studies on Swedish snus.

“Our results suggest you should leave both snus and smoking alone if you want to reduce your risk of diabetes,” she said.