Many smokers refuse to kick the habit, believing it helps them stay thinner. But new research suggests the opposite is true — in fact, exposure to cigarette smoke can actually cause weight gain and the biggest culprit is secondhand smoke.
The study, by Brigham Young University researchers and published in the American Journal of Physiology: Endocrinology and Metabolism, found that smoke triggers disruptions in normal cell functions that govern the body’s metabolism and blocks their ability to respond to insulin. That, in turn, results in weight gain.
“For people who are in a home with a smoker, particularly children, the increased risk of cardiovascular or metabolic problems is massive,” said researcher Benjamin Bikman, a professor of physiology and developmental biology at BYU.
About half of the U.S. population is exposed at least once daily to secondhand cigarette smoke and approximately 20 percent of young children live with someone who smokes. Every day, almost 4,000 young adults smoke their first cigarette and 1,000 become habitual smokers, federal studies show.
Although the findings are based on studies of mice, the researchers believe the same mechanisms are at work in people.
Bikman said the findings could provide “added motivation” for smokers to quit “as they learn about the additional harmful effects to loved ones.”
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