Shisha increases risk of diabetes and obesity

A study of 9,480 people in Iran shows that people who smoke hookah or shisha have a higher risk of diabetes and obesity.

The new study, published in the journal Diabetology and Metabolic Syndrome had participants between the ages of 35 and 65, checking out their smoking history.

6,700 did not smoke, 800 did cigarettes and over 1,000 did hookah.

And that whole thing where people believe hookah is less dangerous than cigarettes? Nah fam.

Co-author Gordon Ferns, a professor of metabolic medicine at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School in the United Kingdom, told The Telegraph that one hookah session could be equivalent to smoking more than a pack of cigarettes.

So it takes about 20 puffs to finish a cigarette. Hookah takes a lot longer and you inhale a higher amount of carcinogenic substances also known as the bad stuff.

It’s still not clear why hookah smoking is linked to diabetes, but Ferns said it’s possible that smoke toxins trigger an inflammatory response that makes people’s tissues resistant to insulin. He said hookah smoking may be connected to other social behaviors that cause weight gain.

with information from The Business Insider