Energy intake and physical activity during short-term smoking cessation in postmenopausal women

This study assessed the effect of short-term (2-week) smoking abstinence on weight gain, energy intake, and physical activity in 60 postmenopausal women. Participants were stratified by their use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT; currently taking/not taking) and then randomized to abstinence or continued smoking for 2 weeks. The 30 abstainers gained a mean of 1.28 kg, compared with a 0.54 kg loss for the 30 continued smokers (P=.002). The abstainers also reported a significantly greater increase than did the smokers in total kilocalorie and in carbohydrate consumption for both weeks. There were no changes in physical activity and HRT effect. These are the first published findings on caloric intake and weight gain during smoking abstinence in postmenopausal women-an understudied population in the smoking cessation literature.