"I don't want to quit because I'm going to gain weight." Who hasn't heard that excuse to avoid quitting cigarettes?
But this is
a weak statement
, according to a new study published in the scientific journal Addiction, which found that both starting to smoke and doing so throughout life can increase abdominal fat, especially visceral fat, which is the most risky. to health.
Because? Because it is the one found deep in the abdomen, around the organs, and it increases the chances of developing heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and dementia.
Does smoking lose weight?
"Smoking prevention and cessation are critical to public health efforts aimed at reducing the incidence of several chronic disorders, particularly respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. However, smoking cessation is often associated with an increase in weight, which can
decrease motivation
," the authors of the article introduced.
The claim is not entirely unfounded: smokers tend to have
lower body weight
than non-smokers. This is not a healthy trait, as observational studies have shown that they also tend to have
more abdominal fat
than non-smokers, which increases their risk of cardiometabolic diseases.
However, it remains unclear whether the association between smoking and body fat distribution
is causal or explained by other factors
, said researchers from the NNF Center for Basic Metabolic Research at the University of Copenhagen, who led the study.
Quitting smoking is associated with quick and significant benefits. Photo Shutterstock.
To try to shed light on this, they used a form of statistical analysis called Mendelian randomization, which combines the results of different genetic studies to look for causal relationships between an exposure (in this case, smoking) and the outcome (increased abdominal fat).
First, they used previous genetic studies to identify which genes are related to smoking and the distribution of body fat.
Second, they used this genetic information to determine whether people with genes associated with smoking tend to have different body fat distributions.
And finally, they took into account other influences, such as alcohol consumption or socioeconomic background, to ensure that any connection they found between smoking and body fat distribution was actually due to smoking itself and not other factors. .
Smoker's belly?: visceral fat vs. subcutaneous
"This study found that starting smoking and smoking throughout life could cause an
increase in abdominal fat
, as seen in waist-to-hip ratio measurements," the researchers wrote.
In further analysis, they also found that the type of fat that increases is more likely
visceral fat
(the deep fat that surrounds the abdominal organs), rather than subcutaneous fat (which is the fat found just under the skin). .
"Previous studies have been prone to confounding, which occurs when an independent variable affects the results. Because our study design
uses genetic variations
, it does a better job of reducing or controlling those variables," they noted.
In this sense, they pointed out that the influence of smoking on abdominal fat seems to occur independently of other factors such as socioeconomic level, alcohol consumption, or other risk factors.
Smoking increases the risk of cardiovascular, respiratory and cancer diseases, among others. Photo Shutterstock.
"From a public health point of view, these findings reinforce the importance of large-scale efforts to
prevent and reduce smoking
in the general population, as this may also help reduce abdominal visceral fat and all chronic diseases. "Reducing one important health risk in the population will indirectly reduce another important health risk."
Quitting smoking at any age: quick benefits
It is known that abandoning tobacco addiction - which is the leading cause of preventable deaths worldwide - brings enormous benefits from the first moment. And, although it is never too late, the sooner the better.
On this point, another recent work published in the journal NEJM Evidence adds new evidence, which found that people who stop smoking see
significant improvements in their life expectancy
after a few years.
The study conducted by researchers at the University of Toronto in Canada shows that smokers who quit before age 40 can live almost as long as those who never smoked.
And those who quit smoking at any age,
10 years after quitting,
reach an expectation close to that of those who never smoked. A significant fact is that approximately half of this benefit occurs in the first three years.
"Smoking cessation is ridiculously effective at reducing the risk of death, and people can reap those benefits
remarkably quickly
," encouraged Prabhat Jha, executive director of the Global Health Research Center at Unity Health Toronto.
It's never too late to quit smoking
The observational study included 1.5 million adults from four countries (US, UK, Canada and Norway), who were followed for 15 years. Smokers between 40 and 79 years old had almost three times the risk of dying compared to those who never smoked, meaning that on average
they lost between 12 and 13 years of life
.
Meanwhile, former smokers reduced their risk of death by 30% compared to those who never smoked. Quitting smoking at any age was associated with
longer survival
, and even those who quit for less than three years increased their life expectancy by up to six years.
"Many people think it's too late to quit smoking, especially in middle age," Jha said. “But these results contradict that line of thinking.
It is never too late
, the impact is rapid and the risk of major diseases can be reduced, which means a longer and better quality of life.
Researchers confirmed that quitting smoking reduced the risk of dying from vascular diseases and cancer, in particular. They also observed that the risk of dying from respiratory diseases decreases, but to a lesser extent, probably due to
residual lung damage
, they speculated.
Although smoking rates have decreased by 25% since 1990 worldwide, smoking remains the
leading cause of preventable deaths
globally. In Argentina, without going any further, it causes 123 deaths per day
.
"Helping smokers quit is one of the most effective ways to substantially improve health. And we know how to do it by
increasing taxes on cigarettes
and improving smoking cessation aids," Jha concluded.
How to quit smoking
If you make the decision to quit smoking, there are multiple tools and institutions throughout the country where you can seek advice. Below, some:
Toll-free line: if you smoke and have questions about how to quit, you can contact the
toll-free line 0-800-999-3040
of the National Ministry of Health.
There are free smoking cessation services in health centers and hospitals throughout the country, which offer pharmacological and psycho-behavioral treatments (individual or group). Click here to consult the one closest to you.
Keep in mind that
self-medication is not recommended
to quit smoking, but that the drugs be prescribed by a professional according to your need and have adequate follow-up and support from the professional.
If you want to try your own, here you can download a manual to quit smoking that can help you.
***
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