A new study conducted by the researchers at the King’s
College London has observed that controlling a person’s
weight after they have given up smoking could help maximize
the benefits for their lungs.
The team led by Susan Chinn sent detailed questionnaires
about smoking history to around 6600 people from 27 countries,
taking part in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey
(ECRHS).
Participants had lung function measured in 1991-93, when
aged 20-44 years, and in 1998-2002 as part of ECRHS with smokers
showing a greater decline in lung function than those who
never smoked. Quitters and sustained quitters had a lower
rate of decline.
Mean weight and body mass index (BMI) increased in men and
women during follow-up. The increase in weight was greatest
in recent quitters and smallest in people who quit and restarted.
The effect of increasing weight or BMI on decline in lung
function was substantially greater in men than in women, diminishing
the benefit of quitting by 38 percent in men, and 17 percent
in women.
"Our data suggest that quitting smoking is beneficial
for lung health, but weight gain is an important factor in
reducing the beneficial effects of quitting on lung function
in men, and that intervention to reduce this weight gain might
be warranted," Chinn informed.
Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com |
