SA JOURNAL OF DIABETES & VASCULAR DISEASE
VOLUME 8 NUMBER 3 • SEPTEMBER 2011
121
S
topping smoking is associated with considerable health benefits and large numbers of
smokers want to quit. However, concern about weight gain is one of the reasons people often
give for not being able to quit smoking. It often reinforces the decision to continue smoking,
particularly in women and young people who may mistakenly believe that smoking is an effective
way to control their weight. Even if an individual successfully quits smoking, weight gain can often
be the factor that causes relapse. What can we do to help?
AVOIDING WEIGHT GAIN AFTER
STOPPING SMOKING
Prevention in Practice
Sue Baic
Senior Teaching Fellow in Nutrition and
Public Health, Department of Exercise,
Nutrition and Health Sciences,
University of Bristol
Smokers try to quit the habit once every two to three
years, on average. Health professionals involved in
health promotion can help people to make the most
of these opportunities by exploring – and overcoming
– barriers to quitting. This might usefully include help-
ing people to understand the reasons for weight gain
and to consider the relative risks of a small amount of
weight gain compared with continuing to smoke. It is
also helpful to support people in effective strategies
for limiting any weight increase on quitting smoking
and helping them to lose any weight gained.
HOW MUCH WEIGHT DO EX-SMOKERS GAIN?
The amount of weight gained after quitting smoking
is highly variable. An American study looked at weight
change over 10 years in 760 adults, including some
who stopped smoking during this time. The average
weight increase due to smoking cessation was 2.8 kg
for men and 3.8 kg for women, after controlling for
other variables. However, major weight gain – defined
as more than 13 kg – occurred in around 10% of
men and 13% of women. Those most susceptible to
weight gain were younger adults, people with a lower
education level and those who had smoked more than
15 cigarettes per day.
It’s worth noting that this research was carried out
before the higher levels of obesity prevalence we see
today. More recent studies suggest substantial num-
bers of quitters gain more than 5% of their initial body
weight, with an average increase of 7 kg over longer-
term follow-up. For most people this weight gain does
not appear to negate the health benefits from stopping
smoking, but it may be a health concern for those who
are already overweight or obese, or for those particu-
larly concerned with body weight issues.
WHY DO EX-SMOKERS GAIN WEIGHT?
A variety of physiological and behavioural mechanisms
have been proposed to account for the changes in en-
ergy balance that follow smoking cessation. Nicotine
can depress appetite and food intake. Smoking also
provides the smoker with a substitute activity for eating
and snacking. Smoking can also serve as a marker of
Key Points: controlling
weight gain in ex-smokers
Concern about potential weight
•
gain is a common reason that
people give for failing to stop
smoking
Efforts to limit weight gain can
•
play an important role in helping
people to quit
Health professionals in health
•
promotion are well placed
to offer interventions to help
immediate and long-term weight
management in smokers trying
to quit
Useful techniques include:
•
interventions to improve dietary
intake and behaviours, efforts
to increase physical activity and
pharmacological treatments
S Afr J Diabetes Vasc Dis
2011:
8:
121– 123
From: the
British Journal of
Primary Care Nursing
