Changes in food consumption and body weight associated with smoking cessation across menstrual cycle phase

Forty women smokers were randomly assigned to smoking cessation for a 10-day period of time, either during the follicular or the luteal phase of their menstrual cycle. Measurements of dietary intake and body weight were collected during the same phase the previous (smoking as usual) month and during the cessation phase. Physical activity was controlled across the 2 months. Comparisons between the smoking and cessation months indicated that both groups increased their dietary intake during the cessation month, but no interaction occurred between phase and month. That is, women in both groups increased dietary intake to the same degree. All energy nutrients tested (fat, complex carbohydrates, and sugar) increased significantly from baseline to cessation. Conversely, body weight increased by 1.8 kg (4 lb) in the Luteal group, while weight remained stable (0.1 kg change) in the Follicular group.