Tag: Smoking and appetite

While it may be a common perception that smoking can help manage weight, research indicates that the effects are complex and misleading. The nicotine in cigarettes does act as an appetite suppressant in the short term, but long-term smoking can lead to a less healthy body composition, including increased visceral fat. Using cigarettes to decrease your appetite is a high-risk strategy with severe health consequences.

While many believe smoking suppresses appetite, a 2018 study of over 5,200 US adults found that smokers actually consume around 200 more calories per day than non-smokers. The question of do you eat more when you smoke is complex, as it involves both physiological and behavioral factors that contradict common assumptions.