Heavy smoking ‘could cause more stomach fat’

SMOKING heavily could lead to an expanding waistline, according to scientists.

A study has found that even if you keep your weight down overall by smoking, you may end up with fat being deposited around the stomach.

This means adults who smoke may either gradually acquire an “apple shape” or “paunch” and might then increase their risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Scientists at the University of Bristol compared people with a particular gene, which causes smokers to smoke more heavily, to people without the gene.

On average, people with the gene were found to have a lower body mass index, which is in line with the generally accepted idea that smoking can keep your weight down. However, researchers also noticed that for the same body mass index, people with this gene had a greater waist circumference.

Professor Richard Morris said: “When doctors attempt to persuade their patients to stop smoking, one barrier those patients face is a fear of weight gain. In the short term, the average smoker is right to be concerned about this. However, continuing to smoke may not necessarily result in weight control in the right parts of the body, and if so may in fact increase the risk of diabetes.”

The findings were based on 29 studies across the world involving 150,000 people.

If these findings are confirmed in future research, a tendency for smokers to acquire an “apple shape” might provide a novel health promotion message, the researchers said.