[CITATION] Common processes of self-change in smoking, weight control, and psychological distress
JO Prochaska, CC DiClemente - Coping and substance use, 1985

In search of how people change: Applications to addictive behaviors -
JO Prochaska, CC DiClemente, JC Norcross? - American Psychologist, 1992 - content.apa.org
... Effectiveness of self-help quit smoking strategies. ... Common processes of change
in smoking, weight control, and psychological distress. ...

Gender differences in cigarette smoking and quitting in a cohort of young adults -
PL Pirie - American Journal of Public Health, 1991 - Am Public Health Assoc
... Women were more likely to agree with two ofthe "bar- riers" items: "If I quit smoking,
I would probably gain a lot of weight" and, "If I quit smoking, it would ...

Early and Late Weight Gain following Smoking Cessation in the Lung Health Study -
PO'Hara, JE Connett, WW Lee, M Nides, R Murray, R … - American Journal of Epidemiology, 1998 - Oxford Univ Press
... as 2.7-3.6 kg (1, 2). The health benefits of quitting smoking generally exceed the
risks associated with the amounts of weight gained (3). However, for smokers ...

Smoking cessation in women concerned about weight -
PL Pirie - American Journal of Public Health, 1992 - Am Public Health Assoc
... and Recnment of Particants Participants were women aged 20 to 64 who wanted to quit
smoking and to maintain their weight while quitting; women who expressed a ...

[PDF] Concern about weight gain associated with quitting smoking: prevalence and association with outcome … -
RE Glasgow, LA Strycker, EG Eakin, SM Boles, EP … - J Consult Clin Psychol, 1999 - homepage.psy.utexas.edu
... 8/30/2000 Concern About Weight Gain Associated With Quitting Smoking Prevalence
and Association With Outcome in a Sample of Young Female Smokers ...
-

… on infant birth weight and gestational age of cotinine-validated smoking reduction during pregnancy -
CQ Li, RA Windsor, L Perkins, RL Goldenberg, JB … - JAMA, 1993 - Am Med Assoc
... RESULTS--Infants who were born to women who quit smoking (quitters) had the highest
mean birth weight (3371 +/- 581 g), followed by infants who were born to ...

Alcohol consumption and its relationship to smoking, weight, blood pressure, and blood lipids. The … -
T Gordon, JT Doyle - Archives of Internal Medicine, 1986 - Am Med Assoc
... who had quit, however, lost weight and had less than average blood pressure increases.
There was no significant association between changes in smoking habits ...

The Smoking Cessation Efficacy of Varying Doses of Nicotine Patch Delivery Systems 4 to 5 Years Post … -
DM Daughton, SP Fortmann, ED Glover, DK Hatsukami, … - Preventive Medicine, 1999 - Elsevier
... apy, the overall long-term quit rates associated with combination therapy with
21-mg patch therapy and suggested that quitting smoking results in a weight ...

Smoking cessation and weight gain -
SM Hall, D Ginsberg, RT Jones - Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1986 - content.apa.org
... Abstract. Investigated determinants of weight gain after quitting smoking in 2 smoking
treatment outcome studies in which 255 Ss (mean age 37 yrs) participated. ...

Quitting Smoking Boosts Weight By 21 Pounds

July 7, 2006 04:03:13 PM PST

But that's no reason not to quit, the study's authors added. It may be a reason to add weight-control to the mix after quitting, however.

"The (new) findings highlight the need to provide effective dietary and physical activity counseling along with smoking cessation programs," the study authors advised in the current issue of Health Services Research.

The team, from the University of Michigan and the University of California, Berkeley, re-analyzed data from the 1998 Lung Health Study of 5,887 American smokers. That study found that those who quit smoking gained an average of nearly 12 pounds.

The new analysis concluded that the average weight gain among quitters was actually about 21 pounds. The authors of the new study said the initial analysis excluded morbidly obese smokers and didn't report racial and ethnic information -- meaning that caution was needed when applying those initial results to broad population groups.

The researchers used a new statistical method that enabled them to compare "apples to apples," they said in a prepared statement. They recommended that this method be used, when appropriate, in similar future studies.

The researchers emphasized that the new findings do not challenge the substantial overall health benefits gained by quitting smoking.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases offers advice on how to control your weight when you quit smoking.

Gender May Guide Gene Expression

July 7, 2006 04:03:13 PM PST

A team from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) studied the expression of 23,000 genes in the brain, liver, fat and muscle tissue of mice, which have 99 percent of the same genes as humans.

While each gene functioned the same in both males and females, more than half the genes showed differences in the amount of their expression -- the process by which a gene's DNA sequence is converted into proteins used by the cell.

"We previously had no good understanding of why the sexes vary in their relationship to different diseases," study author Xia Yang, a postdoctoral fellow in cardiology at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine, said in a prepared statement. "Our study discovered a genetic disparity that may explain why males and females diverge in terms of disease risk, rate and severity."

"Males and females share the same genetic code, but our findings imply that gender regulates how quickly the body can convert DNA to proteins. This suggests that gender influences how disease develops," Yang explained.

"This research holds important information for understanding disorders such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity, and identifies targets for the development of gender-specific therapies," Jake Lusis, study co-author and a professor of human genetics at UCLA, said in a prepared statement.

The findings are published in the August issue of Genome Research.

More information

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has more about gender differences.

Stem Cells Transformed Into Immune Cells

July 7, 2006 04:03:13 PM PST
By Randy Dotinga
HealthDay Reporter

Scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles, reported this week that they coaxed stem cells into becoming T-cells, a crucial part of the immune system. If T-cells could be manufactured, doctors would have a powerful new weapon against AIDS and other diseases at their disposal, the investigators said.

But the research "is not ready for prime time," cautioned study co-author Dr. Jerome Zack, a UCLA professor of medicine, microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics. It will take several years just to prepare for testing in humans, and even that process will take a while, he said.

Still, "the potential is huge," Zack said. "We have to see if it lives up to that potential."

At the center of the research are embryonic stem cells, which have been hugely controversial in recent years. Stem cells have the ability to transform themselves into a variety of cells, a fact that thrills scientists who think their manipulation could restore or boost ailing parts of the body.

In the new research, Zack and colleagues tested what happened when blood-forming stem cells were injected into a human thymus that had been implanted into a mouse.

The findings of the federally funded study were released in this week's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The thymus, part of the human immune system, converted the stem cells into T-cells.

In another positive sign, the research suggests that scientists can piggyback a gene onto stem cells, delivering it to a diseased organ.

That ability would allow a treatment to not only create new immune cells but also target a diseased part of the body with gene therapy, Zack explained.

Potentially, the stem-cell therapy could fight any disease that robs the immune system of its ability to function properly.

There are hurdles to overcome. For one, the body may reject the stem cells. Also, government restrictions on stem cell research may pose problems because of the limitations of existing stem cell lines, Zack said.

Still, it's possible that the research could lead to ways to use adult stem cells to create T-cells, said Paul Sanberg, director of the Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair at the University of South Florida.

"The caveat in all of these types of studies is that it is still an early laboratory study, and does not mean that this is a treatment," he said. The public should "realize that such treatments may be years away."

More information

Learn more about stem cells from the National Institutes of Health .