Why does smoking make you skinny?
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor signaling in the hypothalamus: mechanisms related to nicotine's effects on food intake.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Nicotine activates both hunger-promoting and hunger-suppressing neurons simultaneously.
Common belief: Appetite suppressants shut off hunger signals. This shows nicotine creates neural chaos—both 'eat' and 'stop' signals fire together, which should theoretically cancel out—but instead, it reduces eating.
Practical Takeaways
If you're planning to quit smoking, start reducing high-fat foods 2–4 weeks before quitting to weaken nicotine’s appetite-suppressing synergy.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Nicotine activates both hunger-promoting and hunger-suppressing neurons simultaneously.
Common belief: Appetite suppressants shut off hunger signals. This shows nicotine creates neural chaos—both 'eat' and 'stop' signals fire together, which should theoretically cancel out—but instead, it reduces eating.
Practical Takeaways
If you're planning to quit smoking, start reducing high-fat foods 2–4 weeks before quitting to weaken nicotine’s appetite-suppressing synergy.
Publication
Journal
Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco
Year
2019
Authors
Cali A. Calarco, M. Picciotto
Related Content
Claims (6)
Nicotine acts as an appetite suppressant via central nervous system activation of hypothalamic satiety pathways independent of tobacco-derived toxins.
People who smoke tend to weigh less than non-smokers, and when they quit, they usually gain about 4 kg because their body goes back to how it normally weighs without nicotine.
Nicotine makes two types of brain cells in the hunger center fire at the same time — one that says 'eat' and one that says 'stop eating' — which confuses the brain and leads to eating less.
When scientists remove a specific part of the nicotine receptor in the hunger center of mice brains, nicotine can no longer make them eat less — proving that part is essential for suppressing appetite.
Nicotine might make the brain think food is less filling than it really is, because it keeps the 'hunger signal' active even when you see food — so your brain doesn't realize you're about to eat and you eat less.