Healthy eating may help smokers quit

Posted on Sun, 2 Sep 12

Cigarette smokers who eat more fruits and vegetables are more likely to quit and stay off cigarettes suggests a new study. 

Smokers typically have very poor diets compared to people who have never smoked and former smokers start to eat a lot healthier. Intrigued by the possibility that diet may influence addiction a group of researchers set out to see if there was an association between a measure of healthy eating, fruit and vegetables intake, and tobacco use.

It was discovered that smokers who ate more fruits and vegetables (4 or more times per day) were much more likely to have quit smoking within the next 14 months. Higher fruits and vegetable consumption was also related to lower nicotine dependence scores.

While this study cannot prove fruits and vegetables stop people smoking or make quitting easier (it may be that quitters are just more likely to eat healthier), it certainly raises the possibility that diet can curb addiction, a discovery that would not come as a shock considering that a healthy diet is known to be a powerful modifier of mood and behavior.

Reference:

Haibach JP, Homish GG, Giovino GA. A Longitudinal Evaluation of Fruit and Vegetable Consumption and Cigarette Smoking. Nicotine Tob Res. 2012 May 21. [Epub ahead of print]