Quitting smoking increases beneficial metabolic effects

A new study has found that people who quit smoking have favorable metabolic effects.

The study conducted by The Endocrine Society examined healthy, 1/2-to-2 pack-per-day smokers into an 8-week smoking cessation program, and observed a slight and transient worsening of central fat distribution, followed by a larger and favorable reversal over subsequent months.

The researchers also noticed that over 24 weeks, hepatic glucose output improved in relation to lifestyle changes, weight change correlated directly with reduced nicotine metabolites, and reduced carbon monoxide and nicotine metabolites correlated with increased glucose uptake and utilization of carbohydrate substrates as the preferred metabolic fuel.

Theodore C. Friedman, principal investigator said that usually people think that when they stop smoking, they would going to gain weight and their diabetes and insulin resistance would going to get worse, but actually the insulin resistance remained the same and the fat went back to the thigh after going into the abdomen.

Friedman concluded that smoking cessation should be encouraged as it not only had favorable metabolic effects, but also leads to beneficial effects in terms of where the fat is and what happens with hepatic glucose release from the liver.