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Heavy smokers, smokers with obesity gain more weight after quitting
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Changes in weight after quitting smoking are predicted by number of cigarettes smoked per day and current BMI, according to recent study findings published in the International Journal of Obesity.
“Many smokers are concerned about gaining weight after quitting smoking, and this can be a barrier for them when they are considering whether or not to make a quit attempt,” Susan Veldheer, LDN, a registered dietitian in the department of public health sciences at Penn State College of Medicine, said in a press release. “Being able to easily identify smokers who may gain more weight when they quit is important so that we can work with patients to tailor their treatment plan.”
Veldheer and colleagues evaluated data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey on 12,204 adults aged 36 years or older to determine the effect of number of cigarettes smoked per day and BMI before quitting on weight change over 10 years.
Of the participants, 65.2% were never smokers, 25.3% were continuing smokers and 9.5% were former smokers.
“People tend to put on some weight over time and everyone in the study gained weight,” Veldheer said. “The nonsmokers gained about a pound a year for 10 years.”
Overall adjusted mean weight gain for all participants was 4.5 kg after controlling for race, education level, sex and age. No difference was found between number of cigarettes smoked per day between former and continuing smokers. A lower weight and lower current BMI was found among continuing smokers compared with never smokers and former smokers; former smokers had higher BMI and were heavier compared with continuing and never smokers (P < .001).
Overall mean smoking cessation attributable weight gain was 4.9 kg with former smokers gaining significantly more weight compared with continuing smokers (P < .001). Participants with obesity gained more weight (7.1 kg) compared with participants with normal weight (4.4 kg) and overweight (5 kg). Compared with participants who were normal weight or overweight, participants with obesity 10 years ago gained less weight long term regardless of smoking status.
No difference was found in 10-year weight gain among participants who smoked fewer than 15 cigarettes per day between those who quit smoking and those who did not (P = .02).
“This is good news for light to moderate smokers who are concerned about weight gain,” Veldheer said. “It means that in the long term, quitting smoking will not make that big of an impact on their weight.”
Participants who smoked 25 or more cigarettes per day gained more weight (10.3 kg) compared with those who smoked one to 14 cigarettes per day (2 kg) and those who smoked 15 to 24 cigarettes per day (6 kg). Differences were found in weight gain between continuing smokers and former smokers of 15 to 24 and more than 25 cigarettes per day (P < .001).
“Although this may seem like a lot of weight, it is important for all smokers to remember that quitting smoking is the single most important thing they can do for their health,” Veldheer said. “That being say, for heavy smokers and obese smokers, it may be a good idea to work on quitting smoking while also making other healthy lifestyle changes to control their weight.” – by Amber Cox
Disclosure: One researcher reports receiving consulting fees from Cypress Bioscience, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Novartis and Pfizer.
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