- WASHINGTON (AFP) - Smoking does not help young people keep their weight
down contrary to tobacco advertising, new research in the Journal of Consulting
and Clinical Psychology said Sunday.
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- A study conducted by Dr. Robert Klesges
at the University of Memphis in Tennessee found unequivocally that both
long-time and recent smokers do not lose weight, the journal reported in
its December issue.
-
- The authors of the study noted that the
only group of smokers who showed a statistical weight loss was black men,
and even then it was a limited amount.
-
- But researchers found, as expected, that
smokers who gave up the habit put on a lot more weight than those who stuck
with the weed.
-
- In the study sample, smokers gained anywhere
between 9 to 14 pounds after quitting the habit.
-
- "Every day many young Americans
begin smoking believing that it will help them lose weight, but these results
demonstrate that smoking does not help control weight," said Dr. Klesges.
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- "Only after decades of smoking do
we see a difference in body weights of smokers and non smokers."
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- The study -- one of the first to look
at the connection between appetite, weight gain and smoking -- was based
on a sample of 4,000 people, who were studied over seven months.
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