Fruits And Vegetables May Help Smokers Quit -- And Stay Off -- Tobacco

Want to quit smoking, and stay smoke-free? Eat your fruits and veggies.

Researchers from the University at Buffalo found a link between eating lots of fruit and veggies and maintaining a tobacco-free lifestyle in smokers.

"We may have identified a new tool that can help people quit smoking," study researcher Jeffrey P. Haibach, MPH, a graduate research assistant in the UB Department of Community Health and Health Behavior, said in a statement. "Granted, this is just an observational study, but improving one's diet may facilitate quitting."

The study, published in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research, included 1,000 smokers who were age 25 and older. The researchers had the study participants answer surveys about their smoking habits and their fruit and vegetable intake. Then, they followed up with them 14 months later and asked them if they didn't use tobacco over the past month.

The researchers found that there was a relationship between the amount of fruits and vegetables the study participants ate, and the likelihood that they quit -- and stayed off -- tobacco. In fact, people who ate the most produce in the study were three times more likely to report that they'd been tobacco free in the previous month.

The researchers also found a link between increased produce consumption and taking longer in the day to have the first cigarette, smoking fewer cigarettes, and decreased dependence on nicotine (based on test results).

The results held true even after taking into account other risk factors, like education, age, gender and health.

A possible reason for this relationship may be that fruits and veggies make people feel full, so that they don't feel as big of a need to smoke, researchers said. Another reason could be that fruits and vegetables don't make cigarettes taste better (unlike some other foods), and may actually make cigarettes taste worse.

In fact, a 2007 study from Duke University Medical Center researchers showed that milk, fruits, vegetables and water seem to make cigarettes taste worse. The research, also published in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research also showed that coffee, meat and alcohol made cigarettes taste better.

"With a few modifications to their diet -- consuming items that make cigarettes taste bad, such as a cold glass of milk, and avoiding items that make cigarettes taste good, like a pint of beer -- smokers can make quitting a bit easier," the researcher of that study, Joseph McClernon, Ph.D., said in a statement.

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Comments

[OverseasVet]

04:17 AM on 06/15/2012

People trying to live a healthier lifestyle are more likely to try to quit smoking? What a revelation!

[Yaxchibonam]

02:51 PM on 06/12/2012

Well, as much as I approve of eating fruits and vegetables, and obvious life style choice, these studies certainly do keep the presses running and the grant money coming in. Whew! Maybe all the people who got paid down the line for restating the obvious could go do something really worthwhile, like learning and teaching sustainable agriculture all over the world.

[the crustybastard]

02:15 PM on 06/12/2012

People who maintain healthy diets typically don't consume tobacco?

Wow, shocka!

Was this study commissioned by the Duh Research Foundation for the Study of the Patently Obvious?

[homer winslow]

01:00 PM on 06/12/2012

I quit smoking cigarettes when I started smoking pot. After a couple of hits off a joint or pipe, tobacco tasted horrible to me. I found that I would rather smoke pot than tobacco, so I went cold turkey on the Marlboros.

[OverseasVet]

04:19 AM on 06/15/2012

Much healthier as pot does not cause the health problems of tobacco. Makes sense that it would help with smoking cessation. Too bad it can't be used for this purpose legally.

[astuartgirl]

06:44 AM on 06/12/2012

I decided to quit once I realized I was paying lots of money to look older and die younger. Now I put the extra cigarette money in my 401k.

[jtcbrt]

09:31 PM on 06/11/2012

"The researchers had the study participants answer surveys about their smoking habits and their quirt and vegetable intake."...........what is quirt?

[the crustybastard]

02:17 PM on 06/12/2012

A quirt is 1/4 of a gillon.

[gfybuddy]

09:25 PM on 06/11/2012

i like veggies when i'm stoned

[psridgell]

09:16 PM on 06/11/2012

Dateline : Feruary 2007. For whatever reason, a spirit or angel came into my bedroom and as the dog stood up and bark loudly, I awoke, and someone touched my shoulder. After 36 years of smoking,and not wanting to quit, I awoke the next morning and it was like I had never smoked, no desire, whatsoever, from 2007 to today. Strange enough, I started eating radishes and celery and carrots and cucumbers every morning, and if I miss,I get veggie withdrawals, but I still eat regular the rest of the day.

[seehowtheyrun]

08:24 PM on 06/11/2012

I think fruits and vegetables are the secret to a lot of things pertaining to health. I know that when I crave junk, if I eat some veggies and/or fruit, I stop craving the junk.

[Rebecca Carey]

08:08 PM on 06/11/2012

People who eat lot's of fruits and vegetables are cognizant of eating well-Thus, They would also be aware that smoking is unhealthy, and more than likely have done a lifestyle make over.

[jcbmack]

08:06 PM on 06/11/2012

Good study. Well constructed.

[senor1pinot]

05:48 PM on 06/11/2012

HE ONLY INGREDENT YOU NEED TO QUIT SMOKING IS YOUR OWN WILL POWER ALL THE REWST IS CRAP. IF YOU DONT HAVE THE WILL POWER YOU AINT GOING TO QUIT

[krktoday]

04:17 PM on 06/11/2012

What is really pissing me off is electronic cigarettes can be sold to kid's under 18 and they have nicotine in them. They advertise these as a healthy alterative around here. On the radio they say they have all the nicotine without any of the chemical's that cause cancer. If cigarette com. can't get to kid's under 18 they lose a smoker. This is crazy

[Dogzilla]

04:13 PM on 06/11/2012

Interesting. I once quit smoking for three years. At the time, I was a strict vegetarian. I mostly ate fruits and veggies. Before I quit, I started walking 3 miles a day. After I quit, I bumped that up to 5 miles a day. I STILL gained 25 pounds.

So I'm back chasing the dragon again. And planning to quit again this year. But I'm terrified to do so because I worked so hard to take that 25 pounds off, plus another 15. I still work out six days a week and am now teaching fitness three days a week. I keep hoping someone will give me some miracle cure to quit without the weight gain. Your ideas are welcome.

[finaldestination]

05:49 PM on 06/11/2012

Believe me, Chantix workd...I know about all the stories you hear how bad it is, but it's because people start on too high a dose...You need to take .5/day or .25/day and just keep taking it...and smoking! keep smoking and taking the Chantix and you will see your desire to smoke go away in time....and soon you'll just stop....It may take longer, but it's worth it.

[averagezoe]

11:39 PM on 06/11/2012

I'm not sure that quitting necessarily makes you gain weight. I've smoked for about 40 years, am a vegetarian, work out about an hour most days and during the times that I actually quit smoking, just kept up my routine and never gained an ounce. Quitting never lasted, although I now try to use e-cigarettes as often as possible, but they really suck and I have to have a real one in between. Several of my friends actually managed to quit for good and none of them gained any weight. I would think if you keep doing exactly what you're doing now once you quit, you should be able to maintain your weight. Good luck with quitting.

[Michelle Karlicek]

03:45 PM on 06/11/2012

I agree that eating lots of fruits and veggies is healthy...not so sure about eating "quirts"...fascinating spelling error.