Cited by 571Smoking Behavior and CessationPharmacology and Obesity TreatmentNicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors Study

Cigarette Smoking, Nicotine, and Body Weight

Open access
Audrain-McGovern, J, Benowitz, N L·2011·Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics

Abstract

Smokers generally gain weight when they quit smoking; this weight gain can lessen some of the health benefits of quitting smoking. We review the effectiveness of behavioral and pharmacological approaches to mitigating weight gain in the context of quitting smoking and consider mechanisms that could potentially account for the effects of smoking and nicotine on body weight. Understanding how nicotine affects body weight may lead to novel pharmacological and behavioral interventions for obesity as well as concurrent obesity and nicotine dependence. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2011) 90 1, 164–168. doi:10.1038/clpt.2011.105

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Registry

Crossref · 10.1038/clpt.2011.105

Cites

41 of 41 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Nicotine has appetite-suppressing effects, leading many smokers to report reduced food intake.

    “Nicotine, the primary psychoactive component of tobacco, is known to cause appetite-suppressing effects leading many smokers to report reduced food intake on one hand”

    From Smoking and its impact on eating behavior: A review (2026) · cites this paper as [5]

    The Physiology of Smoking Effect on Body Weight section describes nicotine’s appetite-suppressing effects, and the Natural History section says food intake can increase after smoking cessation. Neither section says that many smokers report reduced food intake; that self-report claim is not supported by our copy. Page numbers are unavailable. (LLM, conf=0.85)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Nicotine is a potent appetite suppressant that activates specific brain pathways to reduce hunger sensations.

    “Nicotine, the primary addictive component in tobacco, has been identified as a potent appetite suppressant. Literature indicates that nicotine activates specific pathways in the brain that reduce hunger sensations.”

    From Smoking and its impact on eating behavior: A review (2026) · cites this paper as [5]

    The Physiology of Smoking Effect on Body Weight section says nicotine acts on brain receptors and that its acute effects activate systems that decrease appetite. But it also says chronic changes are consistent with increased appetite; the unqualified description of nicotine as a potent appetite suppressant overstates the paper. The section discusses appetite and eating, rather than directly measuring hunger sensations; page numbers were not available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.85)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Smoking is associated with an unhealthy distribution of body fat, particularly increased visceral fat, which elevates risk of heart disease, stroke and metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

    “However, smoking is also associated with an unhealthy distribution of body fat, particularly an increase in visceral fat, which elevates the risk of heart disease, stroke and metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes [5].”

    From Smoking and its impact on eating behavior: A review (2026) · cites this paper as [5]

    The Physiology section (page unavailable) says smokers have a higher proportion of visceral fat and that a high waist-to-hip ratio is a cardiovascular risk factor. The Treatment section (page unavailable) also links smokers’ high visceral-to-subcutaneous fat ratio to cardiovascular risk. The paper associates increased visceral fat with insulin resistance and says smoking can cause diabetes, but it does not say that visceral fat itself elevates the risk of stroke, insulin resistance, or type 2 diabetes. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Nicotine interacts with the brain's reward system and alters neurotransmitter activity, particularly dopamine and serotonin, which play key roles in hunger and satiety regulation.

    “Studies have shown that nicotine interacts with the brain's reward system and alters neurotransmitter activity, particularly dopamine and serotonin, which play key roles in hunger and satiety regulation [2, 3, 4, 5-6].”

    From Smoking and its impact on eating behavior: A review (2026) · cites this paper as [5]

  • Smokers weigh, on average, 4-5 kilograms less than non-smokers.

    “Research indicates that smokers weigh, on average, 4-5 kilograms less than non- smokers.”

    From Smoking and its impact on eating behavior: A review (2026) · cites this paper as [5]

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Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

5 of the 46 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. [2]Kruger J Ham SA Prohaska TR Behavioral risk factors associated with overweight and obesity among older adults: the 2005 National Health Interview Survey Prev. Chronic Dis 2009 6 A14 19080020 PMC2644612
  2. [7]CDC Cigarette smoking among adults and trends in smoking cessation -United States 2008 MMWR Morb. Mortal. Wkly Rep 2009 58 1227 1232 19910909
  3. [15]Benowitz NL Nicotine addiction N. Engl. J. Med 2010 362 2295 2303 20554984 PMC2928221

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Authors
Audrain-McGovern, J., & Benowitz, N. L.
Affiliations
  • University of Pennsylvania (US)
  • University of California, San Francisco (US)
Corresponding author
Audrain-McGovern, J
Venue
Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2011-06-01
Volume
90
Issue
1
Pages
164-168
ISSN
  • 0009-9236 (ISSN-L)
  • 1532-6535
OpenAlex
W2144936440
Cited by
571
References
46
Citations by year
2026: 35 · 2025: 48 · 2024: 54 · 2023: 37 · 2022: 70 · 2021: 46 · 2020: 57 · 2019: 42 · 2018: 39 · 2017: 37 · 2016: 40 · 2015: 24 · 2014: 13 · 2013: 12 · 2012: 15
FWCI
1.46
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (DA02277, R01DA002277, U01DA020830, R37DA002277)
  • National Cancer Institute (P50CA143187)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Smoking Behavior and Cessation
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Pharmacology and Obesity Treatment
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors Study
Keywords
cigarette smoking, nicotine, body weight, weight gain after quitting smoking, nicotine dependence, obesity, pharmacological interventions, behavioral interventions, smoking cessation
MeSH terms
Body Weight, Health Status, Humans, Nicotine, Obesity, Smoking, Weight Gain, Smoking Cessation, Nicotinic Agonists

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