Biochemical Consequences of Cigarette Smoking in the Blood Profile of Adult Males in Peshawar, Pakistan

Abstract

Cigarette remains one of the most preventable and ongoing public health dangers, especially in developing countries such as Pakistan, where poverty, culture, and regulation obstruct effective tobacco control. The current research aims to investigate the early stage of biochemical effects cigarette smoking has on liver function and glucose handling in young adult males living in the district Peshawar rural area. A cross sectional comparative study is performed on 100 medically healthy male participants between 20-35 years of age. The participants are split into two groups, smokers (n = 50) who are smokers for over five years, and non-smokers (n = 50). Venous blood is drawn from each subject and sent to the laboratory for analysis with a semi-automated biochemical analyzer assessing the individuals Aspartate Transaminase (AST), Alkaline Phosphate (ALP), and Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) levels; capillary blood glucose levels (BGL) were drawn using a hand held glucometer. The study's statistics are running using SPSS version 26 and statistical analysis used independent sample t-tests to determine significance for intra group differences (p < 0.05). The findings of the data analysis showed statistically significantly increased ALP level (p = 0.047); BGL level (p = 0.012) in the smokers group than the non-smokers rather indicating the combined effects of early hepatic stress and inappropriate glucose disposition. Although AST and LDH levels are marginally higher in smokers, these differences are not statistically significant (p > 0.05), possibly due to the light to moderate smoking intensity among participants. These findings indicate that even low daily cigarette consumption can initiate subtle biochemical disturbances, particularly affecting liver enzyme activity and carbohydrate metabolism, which may predispose individuals to long term conditions such as liver disease and type 2 diabetes. This research contributes valuable data to the limited body of literature on smoking related biochemical alterations in rural Pakistani populations. It underscores the need for early biochemical screening and region specific public health interventions. Additionally, the study emphasizes the utility of liver enzyme profiling and glucose monitoring as non-invasive, cost effective tools for early detection of sub clinical damage in high risk groups. The findings advocate for the implementation of culturally tailored smoking cessation programs and preventive healthcare policies targeting young adults in under researched communities.

Keywords: Biochemistry, Botany, Narcotics: Biochemical Consequences, Cigarette Smoking, Blood Profile