Conference news: Highlights from the 2025 EASD Annual Meeting

Smoking increases the risk of type 2 diabetes

• Heavy smoking conferred a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, whether characterised by insulin resistance, insulin deficiency, obesity or age. 
• Association was strongest for the severe insulin resistant diabetes subtype. The link between smoking and type 2 diabetes may involve adverse effects on insulin sensitivity.
• Individuals with a genetic predisposition to type 2 diabetes or insulin deficiency appeared particularly vulnerable to adverse effects of smoking. 
• Findings underscore the importance of refraining from smoking in the prevention of type 2 diabetes.

Abstract | Poster

Cannabis use associated with a quadrupling of risk of developing type 2 diabetes

• Large, real-world study from Europe and the USA compared cohort with cannabis-related diagnoses with healthy adults with no record of substance misuse.
• Cannabis users faced almost four times the risk of developing type 2 diabetes within 5 years compared with people who did not use the drug.
• Findings underscore need for public education on risks of cannabis use and routine metabolic monitoring for users.

Abstract | Poster

Links between diabetes and depression are similar across Europe

• Study examined bi-directional association between depressive symptoms and diabetes in over-50s in 18 countries.
• Having diabetes increased an individual’s odds of developing severe symptoms of depression by 48%, regardless of country of residence.
• Scoring highly for depression increased the odds of developing diabetes by 15%.

Abstract | Poster

Type 2 diabetes may double risk of sepsis

• People living with type 2 diabetes experienced double the risk of incident sepsis in large, community-based study.
• Disparity was greater in those aged ≤60 years.
• Smoking, high blood sugar and other chronic conditions played a role in the development of sepsis in individuals with type 2 diabetes.

Abstract | Poster

Warning about women with type 2 diabetes taking oral HRT

• Women with type 2 diabetes using hormone replacement therapy (HRT) patches faced higher cardiovascular risk than women without diabetes using HRT, reflecting their underlying risk profile.
• Among women with type 2 diabetes, HRT patches did not raise the risk of blood clots or stroke.
• HRT patches carried lower cardiovascular risk than oral HRT, offering a safer option for women with type 2 diabetes.

Abstract | Poster

Half of people stop taking popular weight-loss drug within a year

• One in two people who initiated semaglutide for weight loss in Denmark stopped therapy within one year.
• Factors contributing to the early discontinuation included being younger and male, coming from low-income areas, having other chronic health conditions, and a history of gastrointestinal or psychiatric problems.

Abstract | Poster

UK study shows potential benefits of tirzepatide in type 1 diabetes

• In real-world use in people with type 1 diabetes, tirzepatide was safe and generally well tolerated.
• Significant clinical benefits included weight loss, reduced insulin requirements and improvement of glycaemic metrics, without increasing hypoglycaemia.
• Definitive data from randomised controlled trials in type 1 diabetes are required to confirm these findings.

Abstract | Poster

Tirzepatide improves blood glucose control in youth-onset type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled on existing therapies

• SURPASS-PEDS was a phase 3, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, followed by an open-label extension in which all participants received tirzepatide.
• Tirzepatide demonstrated significant improvements in glycaemic control and BMI compared with placebo. 
• These effects were sustained over 1 year.
• The safety profile of tirzepatide was consistent with that reported in adults.

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