Why do I gain weight after quitting smoking?

Duluth, Minnesota

Dr.

"We studied whether acute nicotine withdrawal increases the intake of high-salt, high-fat, and high-sugar junk food, and how the stress-relieving receptors of the opioid system are involved," al'Absi said

The research team conducted two laboratory studies on a group of smokers and non-smokers between the ages of 18 and 75

• Smokers who are quitting nicotine consume more calories than non-smokers

  
  

• Naltrexone normalizes calorie intake to the level of non-smokers, suggesting that the opioid system may be a mechanism by which withdrawal induces calorie intake

  
  

al'Absi and his team are currently focusing on the effects of changes in appetite on weight gain after quitting smoking, and the extent to which these changes hinder smoking cessation and increase the risk of relapse

al'Absi said: "These findings extend earlier studies that showed the effect of smoking on appetite and helped to determine an important biological link, namely the effect of the brain's opioid system on cravings during nicotine withdrawal

Co-authors include Dr.

This research was funded by R01DA016351 and R01DA027232 from the National Institute of Drug Abuse Grant al'Absi and Stress and Resilience Research Laboratory

DOI

DOI: 10.

Tobacco withdrawal increases junk food intake: The role of the endogenous opioid system