Nicotine Addiction Level May Predict Weight Gain in Ex-Smokers

Smokers with a serious nicotine addiction are more likely to gain weight than folks who are less addicted when they try to quit, even if they use nicotine replacement therapy, according to a new study by Japanese researchers. The people who quit smoking as part of the study gained an average 2.4 pounds over three months, even though they received support from nicotine patches or the oral medication varenicline (Chantix), which blocks the effect of nicotine on the brain, doctors from Kyoto Medical Center reported in the August issue of PLoS One. But those smokers with a heavy nicotine addiction experienced three times more weight gain than smokers who were less addicted, the researchers found. "Smoking itself is a weight controller," Edelman said. "The more addicted you are, the more cigarettes you smoke, so you would expect weight gain to happen when you quit." http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_139949.html?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery