A medication being tested to help smokers kick the habit also may help avoid the weight gain that is common after quitting.
Naltrexone — an opioid blocker that can dampen the desire for alcohol, heroin and nicotine, as well as the pleasures of eating — help men quit smoking. It improves their quit rates after three months of treatment in a large controlled trial.
The drug naltrexone does not improve quit rates for women beyond that of the placebo. Your weight gain will reduce by more than half. After about three months, you may gain an average of 2.3 pounds or if you take placebo, you may gain 5.1 pounds.
Women who try to quit smoking may be so worried about putting on weight in the process that you soon give up, and this is less commonly found in men. Adding naltrexone to standard treatment might help women get through that difficult early period.
- Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death
- Obesity is the second leading cause of preventable death
Ironically, more than 80 percent of those quit smoking, put on at least five pounds in the year after quitting. Up to 25 percent of those who quit gain more than 15 pounds.
Naltrexone has produced the most promising results to date for helping women who quit smoking gain less weight. It is possible that the opioid blocker reduces your tendency to eat high fat and sweet foods when you quit smoking.
The available tools to help people stop smoking are not satisfactory. Smoking remains a huge health problem and most adults in the United States are either overweight or obese. Naltrexone is a promising medication to treat tobacco dependence and unlike the other approved medications, appears to help reduce weight gain for many.
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