Weight Gain after quitting Smoking seen as Positive

Many smokers are often concerned about gaining weight after they quit.  For those with type 2 Diabetes gaining weight after stopping smoking can potentially increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.  A new study evaluated people who stopped smoking to determine whether gaining weight was associated with a decrease in cardiovascular benefits that come with giving up cigarettes.  “Stopping smoking cut the risk of having a heart attack by about half.” Dr. James Meigs and co-authors examined participants in the Framingham Heart Study and followed them over several decades. Researchers measured smoking behavior and weight change among people who never smoked, those who quit within the last four years and those who quit more than four years ago. They were compared to people who continue to smoke. “Patients will gain weight when they stop smoking but that weight gain doesn’t lower the overall benefit of quitting smoking, heart attack risk and stroke risk.”  The study appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association.