When one of my clients confesses to me that they smoke and I give them my patented disapproving personal trainer look™, one of the most common defences for this pointless habit is that it helps them to keep weight off. Well, it turns out there’s some truth to that, but only because in addition to the nicotine and tar, cigarettes contain appetite suppressants.

Industry documents dating back to the late 1940s show that tobacco companies deliberately added powerful appetite suppressing chemicals to cigarettes to take advantage of societal concerns about being overweight. Worse, according to industry expert David Hammond, “We don’t know if appetite-suppressing molecules are still added because compliance with additive regulations is poor and sensitive internal documents are usually shredded.”

With skinny celebrities such as Kate Moss and Amy Winehouse becoming walking billboards for the slimming effects of smoking now that smoking adverts are banned (ok, maybe the Winehouse look isn’t that commonly aspired to), the perception that smoking helps you lose weight is as strong as ever.

Source : The Independent