KUALA LUMPUR: A Universiti Malaya (UM) expert has sounded the alarm over the link between e-cigarettes and diabetes, as one in five Malaysians are already struggling with the disease.
Citing a study by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, Associate Professor Dr Nur Amani@Natasha Ahmad Tajuddin said e-cigarette users were at greater risk of developing diabetes due to the presence of nicotine in their liquids.
"Nicotine damages cells in the body, effectively reducing insulin sensitivity.
"(Then) the cells cannot 'catch' the sugar in the bloodstream and excrete them through the urine," said the UM Nicotine Addiction Research and Collaborating Group deputy coordinator.
"So the sugar we consume will remain in the bloodstream and eventually we will go from having a normal sugar level to being pre-diabetic and later diabetic," she told the New Straits Times.
A higher risk of diabetes could translate into bigger problems for the authorities and put a strain on an already-burdened public healthcare system.
As it stands, Malaysia has the highest rate of diabetes in Southeast Asia, driven largely by sedentary lifestyles and sugar-laden food and drinks.
The increasing use of e-cigarettes will worsen the problem.
In 2019, there were around 1.1 million e-cigarette users in the country, but this number spiked by 27 per cent within three years. As of 2022, there were 1.4 million adult e-cigarette users in Malaysia.
The use of e-cigarettes, including vapes, among teenagers aged 13 to 17, has risen from 211,084 people in 2017 to 307,109 in 2022.
Nur Amani said the Johns Hopkins University study, which was published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, found that those who used e-cigarettes regularly had a higher risk of developing other health complications linked to high blood sugar.
These complications include stroke, heart attack and kidney issues.
"They (Johns Hopkins University) did this study on 60,000 participants and they found that there is an association between e-cigarette and pre-diabetes, which can also lead to diabetes.
"So what more evidence do we need?" she said.
Meanwhile, Universiti Selangor environmental health expert Professor Dr Jamal Hisham Hashim said propylene glycol, a synthetic liquid found in e-cigarette or vape juice, had a high glucose content.
"Propylene glycol is known to cause hyperosmolarity or high levels of sodium and glucose in blood.
"So, it can cause an elevated blood sugar level or a pre-diabetic condition," he said.