• Hi, I am the owner and main administrator of Styleforum. If you find the forum useful and fun, please help support it by buying through the posted links on the forum. Our main, very popular sales thread, where the latest and best sales are listed, are posted HERE

    Purchases made through some of our links earns a commission for the forum and allows us to do the work of maintaining and improving it. Finally, thanks for being a part of this community. We realize that there are many choices today on the internet, and we have all of you to thank for making Styleforum the foremost destination for discussions of menswear.
  • This site contains affiliate links for which Styleforum may be compensated.
  • We would like to welcome House of Huntington as an official Affiliate Vendor. Shop past season Drake's, Nigel Cabourn, Private White V.C. and other menswear luxury brands at exceptional prices below retail. Please visit the Houise of Huntington thread and welcome them to the forum.

  • STYLE. COMMUNITY. GREAT CLOTHING.

    Bored of counting likes on social networks? At Styleforum, you’ll find rousing discussions that go beyond strings of emojis.

    Click Here to join Styleforum's thousands of style enthusiasts today!

    Styleforum is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

How significant is tobacco's effect on your metabolism?

likeitaloud

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 29, 2008
Messages
779
Reaction score
0
I am not asking of your thoughts on smoking but simply how much does it affect metabolism. Compared to regular heavy weight lifting ,and drinking green tea/other drinks and food that speed it up? Is it realistic for a person to start gaining weight after quitting smoking without any changes in diet or exercise? What about after starting smoking. Maybe a link with some kind of math would be interesting. Thanks.
 

Milhouse

Distinguished Member
Joined
May 11, 2007
Messages
1,917
Reaction score
1
It has been a number of years since I took any pharmacology courses, but I do remember that weight gain is a significantly likely side effect of nicotine cessation. I honestly don't remember the action responsible, if it was a metabolic effect, or more of an appetite suppressant effect.
 

Seanallen

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2008
Messages
386
Reaction score
7
I don't think tobacco is much effect on your metabolism than it is a appetite suppressant like milhouse said.
 

Cornellian

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 10, 2007
Messages
403
Reaction score
5
I suspect that, independent of any metabolic effects, people begin to substitute food to mouth instead of cig to mouth.
 

gomes

Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2008
Messages
11
Reaction score
0
There's a great review article on the matter on the Atherosclerosis Journal (the edition in press now), but it's unlikely you'll have (free) access, so I'll try to share a few of the most important points

- Long term nicotine consumption modulates body weight regulation, by inducing adaptive changes in some of the molecules molecules which regulate feeding patterns and energy metabolism.

- There is also a metabolic withdrawal syndrome which affects about 80% of smokers. The symptoms are the ones we are already aware about, so nothing new there. However, and this is the nasty part, accompanying those symptoms there is also an increase in waist to hip ratio and an increased percent body fat due to increased caloric intake and/or decreased resting metabolic rate.

So yes - in short, nicotine does **** up your metabolic rate.

A bit of good news - from all the weight people usually put on, only about 30% they can blame on the metabolism. The remaining 70% are due to what else they eat now they don't have a cigarette to put in their mouth (as Cornellian already pointed out).
 

aleeboy

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2007
Messages
498
Reaction score
3
I'm a back-and-forth smoker and have tried to quit before. When I did, I was working out harder and eating harder to distract myself. I found I put on some lean mass and was happy with the result. I wonder what the supposed 30% affect on the metabolism rate can do to you.

I read that nicotine increases resting metabolism by 10%. I'm not sure how true this is, but as many smokers can attest, it does make your heart beat faster and more effort needs to be made to breathe. Smoking is nasty and I hope to quit one day. When I do, I will be sure to workout more to counteract the likely bingeing and drop in metabolism.

If only smokes didn't taste so good with coffee, after a warm meal and with alcohol.
 

thekunk07

Stylish Dinosaur
Joined
Apr 27, 2007
Messages
18,117
Reaction score
3,247
it's bad for you but it's a great habit. i enjoy every cigarette. i'm on my second week of no smokes right now and hating every minute.
 

aleeboy

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2007
Messages
498
Reaction score
3
After the first few days, you're free!

However, you're not entirely free to join your mates for a drink at the pub
frown.gif


Good luck!

Yes, it's a great habit with nasty health consequences
 

ankoo

New Member
Joined
Sep 7, 2012
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Cigarette smoking increases a person's metabolic rate in part by forcing the heart to beat faster. When a cigarette is inhaled, the smoker's heart may beat 10 to 20 times more per minute for a period of time.
I think this answers your question.
 

Featured Sponsor

How important is full vs half canvas to you for heavier sport jackets?

  • Definitely full canvas only

    Votes: 55 36.2%
  • Half canvas is fine

    Votes: 59 38.8%
  • Really don't care

    Votes: 17 11.2%
  • Depends on fabric

    Votes: 26 17.1%
  • Depends on price

    Votes: 26 17.1%

Forum statistics

Threads
505,158
Messages
10,578,906
Members
223,883
Latest member
product
Top