Smokers are thin outside, fat inside, claims study

Puffing a couple of fags a day does not keep fat at bay and could result in the body storing too much fat around vital organs.

Puffing a couple of fags a day does not keep fat at bay and could result in the body storing too much fat around vital organs.

Researchers in Australia have carried out a study and found that people do not shed fat simply because they smoke —it’s the muscle loss which gives them the appearance of being thinner though the fat gets stored around their vital organs, The Age reported today.

“If you lose muscle it looks like you are losing more weight. It gives the appearance you are looking skinnier, but you are still storing the fat, which is not obviously a good thing. We’re debunking that myth as well with these findings.

“The fat would tend to gather around a smoker’s girth and torso, adding to the adverse effects on their health. That is around the liver, lungs, heart and the stomach as well,” lead researcher Fiona Sharkie was quoted as saying.

In fact, the researchers came to the conclusion after studying the effects of smoking on mice over a period of seven weeks, with half exposed to smoke from four fags a day for six days a week while the other half smoke free.

The two groups were fed either pellets of standard mouse food or a buffet that included lard, meat pies, cakes and biscuits. Mice on the smoke diet ate about 23 per cent less but their fat mass kept to similar levels, according to the findings.