Smokers gain an average of 6 to 10 lb. when they give up nicotine, according to Inshape Indiana. Although some of the extra pounds are the result of personal choices, such as substituting food for cigarettes, other causes are physiological. Nicotine can affect both your body's balance of nutrients and your metabolism.
Vitamin Drain
Vitamin C is especially vulnerable to nicotine. A single cigarette can deplete your body of 25 mg of this vitamin. The United States Department of Agriculture recommends that men get 75 mg of vitamin C daily and that women get 60 mg a day. Smoking only three cigarettes would deplete an adult male's daily quota of vitamin C, and adult women would hit this point about half a cigarette sooner. Nicotine also blocks your body's absorption of vitamin D. Vitamin D is necessary for the absorption of calcium.
Metabolism
According to MayoClinic.com, smoking increases insulin resistance, a condition in which your body requires increased levels of insulin to move glucose out of your blood and to your cells for energy. Insulin resistance may be a precursor to type 2 diabetes. Nicotine also increases your metabolic rate, so you need more calories to maintain your basic body functions, such as breathing, cell maintenance and cell repair. Taken together, these effects can make it doubly difficult for your body to process nutrients for energy.
Appetite
Nicotine dulls both your sense of smell and your ability to taste the foods you eat. In many individuals, this results in eating less. Food just isn't as enticing as it may be to a nonsmoker. Smokers are also less likely to get adequate vegetables and fruits in their diet, according to the Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago. They're more inclined to consume foods that have an unhealthy fat content, caffeine, and alcohol, all of which can have negative consequences on nutrition.
Personal Choices
Smokers may use nicotine as a replacement for food in an intentional effort to keep their weight down. Smoking can act as an appetite suppressant, according to MayoClinic.com. Rather than stick to a healthy diet to maintain their weight, smokers may skip meals and dull their appetites by smoking instead. If you choose this route, your diet can lack both vitamins and macronutrients, such as protein and carbohydrates, over time. You may be consuming fewer calories than your body requires, or you may end up eating far too many at your next meal.
References
- InShape Indiana: Addressing Weight Gain (PDF)
- Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago: Smoking and Nutrition (PDF)
- MayoClinic.com; Nicotine Dependence: Complications; Mayo Clinic Staff; November 2010
- United States Department of Agriculture; Dietary Guidance; May 2011
- MayoClinic.com; Quit Smoking, Gain Weight: Is It Inevitable?; Richard D. Hurt, M.D.; October 2010
- MayoClinic.com; Metabolic Syndrome: Causes; Mayo Clinic Staff; November 2009
