If you’re struggling to put down the cigarettes, there’s a new tool that may be able to help you quit – and it’s probably not what you think.
Rather than the usual pill, patch or support system, researchers recently found that kicking the habit may be as simple as reaching for some apples and broccoli. This according to a new study published last month in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research that showed eating fruits and vegetables may help some people quit smoking.
Turns out fruits and veggies are the answer to being healthy once again.
This is especially exciting for the health community as researchers backing the study feel confident enough in the results to report that they may have identified a new tool to help people put an end to their smoking addictions.
The study, which took place at the University of Buffalo, surveyed 1,000 U.S. smokers ages 25 and older via phone interview. Participants – who had to have smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime and currently be smoking daily – were asked questions regarding their age, gender, race, education, income and how frequently they exercised, drank heavily or used drugs.
Once the data was collected, surveyors waited 14 months before contacting participants again to see if they had abstained from using tobacco in the previous month. What they found was that smokers who had a higher fruit and vegetable intake not only smoked fewer cigarettes a day, but also waited longer to smoke their first cigarette of the day and scored lower on a common nicotine dependence test.
Because the study only identified an association rather than a cause-and-effect link, further research needs to be done to better explain the connection between fruit and vegetable intake and quitting smoking. But some possible explanations are that fruits and vegetables may worsen the taste of cigarettes; people who consume plenty of fruits and vegetables may be less nicotine dependent; and because fruits and vegetables are high in fiber, researchers considered that consumption may help people feel more full and satisfied and less in need of a smoke, since smokers can often confuse hunger with the urge to smoke.
Not only does smoking harm nearly every organ of the body, serious health risks include increased risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, obstructive lung diseases, and certain cancers. And even though obesity recently topped smoking as the leading cause of death in the U.S., it’s still a serious problem in our country with millions of adults and youth still lighting up.
With that in mind, this study should be a great encouragement for those trying to kick the habit as it may now be as simple as upping your fruit and veggie intake.
Also Read:
Smoking and Obesity are Equally Dangerous
How Smoking Affects Your Workout
A New Answer for Why It’s Harder for Woman to Quit Smoking
Source: Today Health