The Link Between Quitting Smoking and Weight Gain

The risk of gaining weight is a common worry among people who plan to quit smoking and those who have quit. Because of this, quite a lot of people see weight gain as a problem, hesitate, and give up on quitting.

According to some findings, people who quit smoking gained an extra 5 kilos over the 10 years after quitting compared with those who did not smoke. This figure can rise depending on the person's degree of nicotine dependence and how high their body mass index was before quitting.

In a study of 186 people, among those over 60 who smoked more than 1 packet a day, the people who gained the most weight 3 months after quitting were those with the highest nicotine dependence.

The reasons for weight gain after quitting are varied. Examples include the reward and pleasure area of the brain continuing its function through something other than cigarettes, a slowing of metabolism, a drop in physical activity, and an increase in lipoprotein lipase activity, which affects fat distribution. The effect of nicotine on fullness comes from the regulation of hormones such as peptide YY, neuropeptide Y and orexin.

Calorie intake after quitting has been observed to rise by 250-300 kcal. After quitting smoking, eating healthily and increasing physical activity are recommended not only to prevent weight gain but also to keep to a minimum the increased risk of diabetes and heart disease that can follow weight gain. For people who want to quit but postpone it because of weight, smoking causes far more health problems than the weight gained. Weight that is gained can be managed by following a plan.

Sources: 1) Kos, K. (2020). Smoking cessation, weight gain, and cardiovascular risk. The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. 2) Heavy Smokers More Likely to Gain Weight When They Quit, Written by Brian Krans — Updated on October 6, 2018

This article is for general information only; please consult your doctor and dietitian about your own situation.