Research has found that regularly smoking could increase the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes in men, with the odds even higher in smokers who are also obese.

Carried out by researchers from the University of Oxford, UK, the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, and Peking University, the new study looked at 512,891 adults ages 30-79 years from five urban and five rural parts of China. Participants had no history of diabetes at the start of the study.

After taking into account factors such as age, socioeconomic status, alcohol consumption, physical activity, and obesity, the team found that regular smokers have a 15-30 percent higher risk of developing diabetes.

Smoking more cigarettes each day and starting smoking at a younger age also appeared linked to a greater risk of diabetes.

Heavy smokers were also more likely to have higher amounts of abdominal fat than light or nonsmokers, which also greatly increased the risk of the condition.