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Fat, sweetness perception lower in women smokers with obesity
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Findings from a study published in Obesity contradict the perception that smoking aids women in weight control and suggest the habit may even contribute to weight gain in those with obesity.
“The ability to perceive fat and sweetness in and derive pleasure from foods is particularly compromised in obese women who smoke, which could contribute to excess calorie intake in this population already at high risk for cardiovascular and metabolic disease,” the researchers wrote.
Forty-seven women aged 21 to 41 years who responded to advertisements and fliers were recruited into a study at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia. Marta Y. Pepino, PhD, assistant professor at Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, and Julie A. Mennella, PhD, a biophysicist at the Monell Chemical Senses Center, separated participants into four groups (14 smokers with obesity, 11 never-smokers with obesity, 10 normal-weight smokers, 12 normal-weight never-smokers) to determine oral fat perception.
The women were asked to rate vanilla puddings, varying in fat content, for perceived intensity of creaminess and sweetness. Pudding ratings were done both with and without nose clips to determine the role of retronasal smell.
Perception of creaminess grew with increasing fat concentrations for all groups. Puddings with any amount of fat were perceived as sweeter than fat-free, and sweetness was enhanced when tasted without nose clips. Smokers with obesity perceived less creaminess, sweetness and pleasure while tasting the puddings than the other three groups (all P<.02).
“These findings are particularly concerning for female smokers with obesity who are already at high risk for cardiovascular and metabolic disease,” Pepino said in a press release. “We already know that smoking is bad for cardiovascular health, outside of its effects on body fat distribution.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
Perspective
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Christopher Ochner, PhD
Theoretically, primary care physicians should already be addressing smoking and obesity independently, because they’re both very serious independent risk factors for cardiovascular disease and death. This study shows when you combine them, the health risks are potentially even worse.
It might seem a bit counterintuitive, but the results show that when you combine smoking and obesity, the perception and the pleasure derived from fatness and sugars and things in food that we typically really enjoy, is diminished. So you may say: “If we find it less pleasurable, why would we do it more?” In fact, we know this is what’s going on in substance abuse and the development of obesity.
We get an immense amount of pleasure from things like drugs or food, but, with frequent use, we experience habituation; we begin to experience less pleasure from the same amount. It happens in cocaine addicts and heroin addicts — they continue to use more and more and more to achieve the same result. It’s sort of the same thing with food; we habituate, and find less pleasure. When we have this perceived deficit in reward, we use more to make up for that deficit.
It’s an interesting concept. There’s a lot of evidence that shows this is actually occurring, and this isn’t just some hypothesis. This is real, and it contributes to both of the drug addiction and obesity epidemics. Certainly, this should encourage physicians to be even more diligent about addressing each of these risk factors, particularly if they see them co-occurring. We may also see an impact in dispelling the false belief that smoking is a good way to control body weight. That’s where the potential benefit and the utility of this study lay.
This is more evidence showing that smokers prefer fattier foods and tend to have higher waist-to-hip ratios, and also individuals with obesity prefer fattier foods and tend to have higher waist-to-hip ratios, and both of those are independent risk factors of cardiovascular disease and mortality. When you put smoking and obesity together, you’ve got an even stronger effect, and it’s even worse for health.
It really speaks to how false, and problematic, the idea is that, if individuals want to stay thin, smoking is a good idea. A lot of people in the fashion and modeling industries smoke for this reason. This belief is still out there, and it’s really a false belief. This article really speaks to that idea.
It is true that when people, particularly women, quit smoking, they gain a little weight. However, it’s usually temporary and typically only a few pounds; that essentially is just trading one oral activity for another. Over the long haul, quitting smoking is still going to be much better for you, not only in terms of heart health, but also in terms of body weight. Quitting smoking is going to help you — especially if you have obesity.
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