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Weight gain following smoking cessation

¹Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pennsylvania 15213.

Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology

|October 1, 1993

Summary

Smoking cessation leads to weight gain, likely due to a lowered body weight set point, not just increased eating or metabolic changes. This set-point theory may explain why interventions to prevent weight gain after quitting often fail.

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Area of Science:

Behavioral Science
Metabolic Research
Addiction Studies

Background:

Smoking is known to suppress body weight.
Smoking cessation typically results in weight gain.
The precise mechanisms behind smoking's effect on body weight are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the underlying mechanisms of weight gain following smoking cessation.
To explore the role of body weight set point in mediating these changes.
To evaluate the implications of these findings for weight management interventions.

Main Methods:

Review of existing literature on smoking, nicotine, and energy balance.
Analysis of human studies examining weight changes in relation to smoking status.
Consideration of animal research on nicotine and drug effects on weight regulation.

Main Results:

Smoking appears to lower the body weight set point.
Smoking cessation leads to an increase in the body weight set point.
Transient increases in eating and removal of metabolic effects are secondary to set point changes.
Physical activity levels do not significantly change with smoking cessation.

Conclusions:

The most parsimonious explanation for weight changes related to smoking is a modification of the body weight set point.
This set-point hypothesis provides a framework for understanding weight gain after smoking cessation.
The set-point theory may also explain the limited success of interventions aimed at preventing post-cessation weight gain.

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