Second-hand smoke, that is to say the smoke that we inhale, is often pointed out by scientists as responsible for thousands of deaths per year. But it would also be involved in weight gain, according to the results of a study published in the scientific journal American Journal of Physiology, Endocrinology and Metabolism.
Brigham Young University researchers performed a lab experiment with mice to understand whether cigarette smoke could alter the weight and metabolism of people exposed to passive smoking.
They found that rodents in contact with smoke gain weight and alter their metabolism. “This exposure causes profound cellular changes, which then increase the body’s resistance to insulin” explains Benjamin Bikman, biologist and professor at the University.
“Unfortunately, once this insulin resistance has been acquired, the body has no choice but to produce even more insulin,” recalls Benjamin Bikman. And who says increased insulin production also says fat production, therefore weight gain.
While scientists have been successful in blocking the insulin resistance created by cigarette smoke in mice, they don’t know if they can do it in humans and protect passive smokers from this weight gain.
While the results of this study show that the passive smoking can make you fat, let’s not forget it kills.
Alarming figures
To highlight the harmful effects of passive smoking, the WHO publishes alarming figures: passive smoking is responsible for more than 600,000 deaths per year in the world, that is to say one in 100 deaths. And if we only take into account that of deaths caused by tobacco, passive smoking is responsible for one in 10 deaths. Exposure to second-hand smoke is responsible each year for 379,000 deaths from ischemic heart disease, 165,000 deaths from respiratory infections, 36,900 deaths in cause of asthma and 21,400 lung cancer deaths.
Passive smoking also increases the risk of developing breast cancer by 10%, according to the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm).
