Khat Chewing and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

• Main Authors: Badedi M, Darraj H, Hummadi A, Najmi A, Solan Y, Zakry I, Khawaji A, Zaylai S, Rajeh N, Alhafaf H, Hakami W, Bakkari A, Kriry M, Dagreri A, Haddad E
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dove Medical Press 2020-02-01
• Series: Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity : Targets and Therapy
• Subjects: type 2 diabetes mellitus; catha edulis; khat chewing
• Online Access: https://www.dovepress.com/khat-chewing-and-type-2-diabetes-mellitus-peer-reviewed-article-DMSO

Mohammed Badedi,1 Hussain Darraj,1 Abdulrahman Hummadi,1 Abdullah Najmi,2 Yahiya Solan,1 Ibrahim Zakry,1 Abdullah Khawaji,1 Sayedah Zaylai,1 Norah Rajeh,1 Hassan Alhafaf,1 Wali Hakami,1 Awaji Bakkari,1 Maryam Kriry,1 Abdulraheem Dagreri,1 Ebrahim Haddad1 1Jazan Diabetes and Endocrine Center, Ministry of Health, Jazan, Saudi Arabia; 2Jazan Health Affairs, Ministry of Health, Jazan, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Mohammed BadediJazan Diabetes Center, Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia, PO Box 604, Abu Arish, Jazan 45911, Saudi ArabiaTel [phone]Email [e-mail]: Knowledge about the effects of khat chewing on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) development and glycemic control is very sparse. Emerging data suggest that khat chewing may increase the risk of T2DM occurrence. Therefore, this study aimed to measure the prevalence of khat chewing in Saudi people with T2DM in Jazan, Saudi Arabia and to determine the association of khat chewing with T2DM development and glycemic control in T2DM.Methods: This is an analytical, cross-sectional study that included 472 Saudi participants selected randomly from primary healthcare centers in Jazan, Saudi Arabia. A chi-square test and logistic regression were performed in the statistical analysis.Results: The prevalence of khat chewing in Saudi patients with T2DM in Jazan was 29.3%. After adjusting for covariates, khat chewing was significantly associated with T2DM (odds ratio 3.5), indicating that khat chewers had a more than three times higher risk of developing T2DM than those who do not chew khat. However, there was no association between khat chewing and glycemic control in T2DM.Conclusion: Khat chewing was highly prevalent in Saudi people with T2DM in Jazan, Saudi Arabia. There was an association between khat chewing and the development of T2DM. Establishing the causal association of khat chewing with T2DM development and glycemic control and clarifying the biological role of khat in T2DM are important aims for future studies.Keywords: type 2 diabetes mellitus, catha edulis, khat chewing