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Smoking May Spark Hunger
According to a study by Yale University researchers, mice exposed to nicotine experienced increased motivation to seek food, an effect that seemed to last for weeks after exposure.
The findings fly in the face of the popular belief that smoking suppresses appetite. "Although acute nicotine can act as an appetite suppressant, these data are the first to suggest that repeated exposure to nicotine has the opposite effect, that nicotine increases motivation for food for weeks following exposure to the drug," said Darlene Brunzell, lead researcher on the study.
Added Stephanie O'Malley, professor of psychiatry and principal investigator for the Center for Nicotine & Tobacco Use Research at Yale: "This research suggests that when young people take up smoking to regulate their weight, this may be counterproductive in addition to being harmful to their health. More research is needed to determine how exactly that works, but this does show that there could be a connection between exposure to nicotine and subsequent weight gain in some individuals."
The findings have significance for stop-smoking programs, which often are challenged by female smokers who are reluctant to quit because they believe they will gain weight.
The study also found that Beta 2 nicotine receptors in the brain are involved in the drug's role in stimulating behavioral cues.
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