Here’s another great reason to eat more fruit and vegetables.
Researchers from the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, have discovered that eating more fruits and vegetables may help you quit smoking and stay tobacco-free.
The University at Buffalo study found that smokers who consumed the most fruit and vegetables were three times more likely to be tobacco-free for at least 30 days at follow-up 14 months later than those consuming the lowest amount of fruits and vegetables.
More: Quitting Boosts Quality of Life
They also found that smokers with higher fruit and vegetable consumption smoked fewer cigarettes per day, waited longer to smoke their first cigarette of the day and scored lower on a common test of nicotine dependence.
“We may have identified a new tool that can help people quit smoking,” says Jeffrey P. Haibach, MPH, first author on the paper and graduate research assistant in the UB Department of Community Health and Health Behavior. “Granted, this is just an observational study, but improving one’s diet may facilitate quitting.”
Haibach adds: “It’s possible that an improved diet could be an important item to add to the list of measures to help smokers quit. We certainly need to continue efforts to encourage people to quit and help them succeed, including proven approaches like quitlines, policies such as tobacco tax increases and smoke-free laws, and effective media campaigns.”
Read about a Mayo Clinic Study: Smoke-Free Workplaces Save Lives
Reference:
Nicotine and Tobacco Research, First published online: May 21, 2012 “A Longitudinal Evaluation of Fruit and Vegetable Consumption and Cigarette Smoking” Jeffrey P. Haibach, M.P.H., Gregory G. Homish, Ph.D., Gary A. Giovino, Ph.D., M.S.Department of Community Health and Health Behavior; School of Public Health and Health Professions; University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY
