Many smokers delay quitting out of weight gain concerns. While quitting has been associated with weight gain, the story isn’t that simple, as a recent study points out.
The study looked at the 10-year weight gain of a nationally representative sample
The study compared the weight gain among current smokers, smokers who quit between 1-10 years ago, and people who have never smoked. A total of 12,204 adults were selected from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The study gathered the baseline Body Mass Index (BMI) and the average number of cigarettes consumed per day for each group. The never-smokers served as a control to look at the average weight gain of the non-smoking demographic over the same time period. At the end of the 10-year period, the weight gain that can be attributed to quitting was calculated by the difference between the adjusted mean weight of quitters and that of continuing smokers.
The heaviest of smokers gained the most weight upon quitting
The 10-year weight gain of continuing smokers was 7.7 pounds compared to 18.5 pounds for people who quit smoking. This results in a weight gain attributed to quitting of 10.8 pounds. However, this difference in weight gain is inconsequential in former smokers who smoked 1-14 cigarettes per day. The highest weight gain (22.7 pounds) was noticed among former smokers who smoked at least or more than 25 cigarettes per day. Another important factor influencing the post-quitting weight gain was the baseline BMI at the start of the study; obese people gained more weight after quitting.
Why do people gain weight after quitting?
The study clearly defined the factors that could be associated with increased weight gain after quitting: heavy smoking and obesity. While this shouldn’t be an incentive to stop quitting, it’s interesting how the body responds to the lack of nicotine in the system. It is well known that nicotine is an appetite suppressant and a metabolic stimulant. The absence of nicotine increases the appetite and dulls the heightened metabolic status. Also, people could use food as a comfort to help with the nicotine cravings. Together, these factors could result in weight gain.
Weight gain may seem like too high a price to pay for quitting. However, it is a relatively manageable obstacle in an otherwise right decision to a healthier, longer life.
