Scientists have long known that smoking suppresses appetite, although the mechanism behind it wasn’t clearly pinned down until recently. As a result, people who quit smoking tend to gain weight as their bodies adjust to the new lifestyle, and they become hungrier on average than their smoking peers.
This has of course become a major roadblock in quitting smoking. As if quitting weren’t hard enough by itself, it turns out that it can make you fat—although the benefits no doubt outweigh a little weight gain. Thankfully, new research suggests there may be a way to kick the habit without the extra pounds.
A recent study by Yale School of Medicine scientists showed how nicotine, an active ingredient in cigarettes, works to suppress hunger in smokers. This can pave the way for the creation of a new drug which would stave off cravings in new quitters, helping them quit without gaining weight.
The researchers found that nicotine activates a group of neurons in the hypothalamus, a small part of the brain that controls several functions, including hunger. These neurons then send a signal that the body is full. Nicotine appears to work by activating a different set of receptors, rather than the ones responsible for cigarette cravings.
The initial goal was to isolate the function of the brain’s nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, which appeared to be nicotine’s main target. The scientists tried a depression drug that had earlier proven effective on these receptors, and found that mice that were given the drug …
