Posted by Weight gain after stopping smoking
How often have you heard a smoker say they would like to quit but don’t want to add weight? Truth be told, this weight gain is an insignificant part of becoming healthy again after years of abusing your body with the smoking habit.
A recent study (13 March 2013) published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, suggests that even with weight gain, quitting the smoking habit lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease. The researchers for the report say that even with a few extra pounds the quitters have approximately 50% lower risk of cardiovascular disease than smokers do.
This even holds true for those with diabetes.
Smokers who quit generally can expect to gain from 6 to 13 pounds shortly after stopping. This weight gain decreases over time and then levels out.
According to the study author, Dr. Michael Meigs, associate professor at Harvard Medical School, “The benefits on vascular health when you stop smoking are so strong that any tiny adverse effects on metabolic health related to weight gain are completely overshadowed.”
Since it is a well-known fact that smoking is one of the major contributing factors of heart disease, the fact that a few extra pounds are not crucial to long term health problems may give hope to those who are struggling to quit this nasty life shortening and stinky habit.
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