A study conducted at UNMC found it’s better to be an overweight ex-smoker than a normal-weight smoker when it comes to the risk of dying.
The study, published in Tobacco Control, a British Medical Journal publication, recently was featured in a podcast. The journal is an international peer review journal covering the nature and consequences of tobacco use worldwide.
See study abstract here.
“The main message to be given to smokers is that even if they gain weight because of quitting smoking, it is still a healthier option than continuing to smoke,” said Mohammad Siahpush, Ph.D., professor in the UNMC College of Public Health and principal investigator of the study.
Weight gain is one reason some smokers continue smoking or relapse after quitting.
The objective of the study was to determine which is more detrimental — being a normal weight smoker or quitting smoking and becoming overweight or obese. Among women, researchers found the risk of dying was 26 percent lower in obese ex-smokers than normal-weight smokers and among men the risk was 37 percent lower.
Researchers looked at conditions that could lead to death, including certain cancers, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases and type II diabetes. They used data from 1997-2004 from about 53,000 people from the National Health Interview Survey linked to records in the National Death Index.
People were followed between two to 20 years for information on mortality and cause of death.
Study results found the risk of dying was higher among normal-weight smokers than overweight or obese ex-smokers in all of the conditions except in men with diabetes. Among women, there was no difference in risk of dying from diabetes.
Dr. Siahpush noted that the magnitude of the increased risk was larger among men than women for all cancers combined, lung cancer and respiratory disease. In contrast, the magnitude of the increased risk was larger among women in the case of mortality from cardiovascular diseases.
He said the majority of ex-smokers gain between six and 22 pounds within eight years of quitting — most of which occurs in the first three months after quitting.
Smoking cessation interventions can use information from the UNMC study to tailor their messages to negate the fear of weight gain that is associated with quitting, Dr. Siahpush said. It’s important because being overweight or obese has some of the same risks as smoking.