Leptin Not Related to Weight Gain in Former Smokers

A study has demonstrated that the increase in weight often experienced by those giving up smoking was not related to changes in levels of leptin, a protein that has been shown to play an important role in weight control. The study was published in the December 2002 issue of Nicotine & Tobacco Research.


Investigators from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (PA, USA; www.pitt.edu) compared leptin levels in 77 individuals from groups of male and female smokers, nonsmokers and ex-smokers, as well as a smaller set of the smoking group that quit for at least three weeks. They also catalogued the participants' body mass index and alcohol and caffeine intake, since each of these factors is associated with leptin levels in the body.

After accounting for the influence of body mass, the researchers found no significant difference between nonsmokers, ex-smokers and current smokers. The effects of caffeine and alcohol were not significant except in the case of alcohol for women, where alcohol consumption lowered leptin levels.

Although no link between smoking and leptin levels was found, the researchers suggested that smoking might influence other unknown factors, including hormones, which regulate eating and energy expenditure and affect body weight as a result.



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