British research team analyzes over 80,000 people…”Support for nutrition and weight management important when quitting smoking”,
Cigarette / Photo= Yonhap News,
, ‘Why do smokers gain less weight or lose weight when they quit smoking? Research results suggest that smokers may have less healthy eating habits and eat less than non-smokers.’,
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, ‘A research team from the University of Loughborough and the University of Leicester in the UK analyzed the relationship between smoking and eating behaviors among over 80,000 British adults at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Venice, Italy on Thursday (13th). They revealed that smokers tend to eat less and have less healthy eating habits than non-smokers.’,
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, ‘The research team stated that these findings could help explain the reasons why smokers gain weight after quitting smoking, and demonstrate the importance of providing support for nutrition and weight management to smokers attempting to quit.’,
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, ‘Smokers typically have lower weight and body mass index (BMI) compared to non-smokers, and quitting smoking is known to be associated with weight gain. There are also research results that suggest people smoke to control appetite and weight.’,
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, ‘The team explained that while there are research results suggesting that nicotine suppresses appetite and may influence eating behavior, the relationship between smoking and eating behavior is not clearly understood.’,
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, ‘In this study, the team examined the association between smoking and dietary behaviors using data from 83,781 individuals aged 18 and older collected through health assessment programs conducted by Nuffield Health, a British medical charity, from 2004 to 2022.’,
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, ‘Among the participants, there were 6,454 smokers and 77,327 non-smokers. Participants completed questionnaires on age, gender, socioeconomic status, smoking status, usual eating habits, and had their body mass index (weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters, kg/m²) measured.’,
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, ‘The analysis results showed that smokers were 2.16 times more likely to skip meals compared to non-smokers, even after excluding factors such as age, gender, and socioeconomic status. The proportion of those who did not eat anything for more than 3 hours was also 50% higher among smokers.’,
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, ‘Moreover, smokers were 35% more likely to snack between meals than non-smokers, 19% less likely to eat to reward or change their mood, and 14% less likely to eat out of boredom. The probability of eating sweet foods between meals or as dessert was also 8-13% lower among smokers.’,
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, ‘However, smokers were 8% more likely to eat fried foods, 70% more likely to add salt to their food, 36% more likely to add sugar, and 19% more likely to find it difficult to leave food uneaten.’,
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, ‘The team noted that the likelihood of adding salt and sugar to food was higher in men than in women, indicating that male smokers may be more vulnerable to unhealthy eating habits.’,
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, ‘Dr. Scott Willis of Loughborough University, the lead researcher, stated that the study results demonstrate the association between smoking and reduced food intake, increased consumption of fried foods, and decreased quality of diet, such as adding salt and sugar, and would help identify the causes of weight gain commonly observed in smokers during smoking cessation and provide responses accordingly.’,
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