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New harm associated with cigarettes: tobacco promotes the accumulation of fat in the belly, particularly visceral fat… associated with liver diseases and cardiovascular events.
Contrary to popular belief, smoking causes belly fat. At least that’s what a new study says, published in the journal Addiction.
Tobacco promotes “belly”
If smokers tend to have lower body weight than non-smokers, “they also have more abdominal fat“, reveals the study.
To arrive at this observation, Danish researchers based themselves on past studies to identify genes associated with smoking habits and the distribution of fat in the body.
In total, data from two million participants was taken into account.
Other factors were also observed, such as participants’ alcohol consumption, their socio-economic status, etc. The researchers’ objective was to eliminate confounding factors and isolate the sole influence of tobacco on weight. .
After analyzing all the information collected, the scientists concluded that tobacco did indeed have an influence on abdominal fat.
“Smoking initiation and increased smoking over the lifespan can lead to increased abdominal fat distribution. Increased abdominal fat due to smoking is characterized by increased visceral fat” they confirm.
The result is an increase in cardiovascular risk
“In further analysis, we also discovered that the type of fat that increases is more likely the visceral fat than that located just under the skin“, assures Dr. Germán D. Carrasquilla, lead author of the research.
AND we know that this fat located at the waist, which surrounds and penetrates certain organs, is associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular problems (arteriosclerosis), hypertension, increased levels of bad cholesterol but also diabetes, sleep apnea and “fatty liver disease” or NASH (English acronym meaning: non-alcoholic steatohepatitis).
“Thus, efforts to prevent and quit smoking may have the added benefit of reducing abdominal fat“, conclude the researchers.
Slide: Quit smoking without gaining weight