It's Worth Gaining Pounds to Quit Smoking

It’s healthier to quit smoking and gain weight, than to not quit at all, new research confirms. Many people avoid giving up cigarettes due to the fear of putting on some extra pounds—American smokers typically gain around nine to 11 pounds with in the first year after quitting. While being overweight can lead to heart disease, especially for people with type 2 diabetes, a new study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, shows that giving up smoking will still improve your health long-term, even with the extra baggage. Researchers analyzed data from 3,251 participants in the Framingham Heart Study, a landmark cardiovascular study. The data goes as far back as 1971, and doctors checked in with the participants every four to six years. The percentage of people smoking dropped from 31% to 13% from 1984-2011, when there were approximately 11,148 examinations performed. The researchers found that those who quit smoking reduced their risk of developing serious heart problems by an impressive 54%. This offsets the risks associated with weight gain among quitters. “Cigarette smoking has short and long-term cardiovascular effects that are reversible shortly after cessation,” the study authors write. “Weight gain that occurred following smoking cessation was not associated with a reduction in the benefits of quitting smoking.”