Cigarettes won’t make you thin – and increase the risk of belly fat

Smoking does not make people thin and can instead increase the risk of developing belly fat, a study has found.

The impact is more significant for visceral abdominal fat, which is not visible but is around the internal organs, scientists found.

Analysis of genetics and smoking habits revealed a link between abdominal fat and smoking and provides evidence that the habit can lead to higher fat levels.

Rishi Sunak plans to ban anyone born after 2009 from being able to buy cigarettes which will affect anyone turning 15 this year and younger. Smoking has been linked to causing cancer, heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and dementia.

The study, from the University of Copenhagen, combined the results from different genetic studies to look for a causal relationship between smoking and increased abdominal fat.

Reducing one health risk will reduce another

Data from more than two million people were included in the analysis and it was found that people with genes that made them prone to smoking were also prone to having belly fat.

In a further analysis of DNA variants, the team also found that the type of fat that increases is more likely to be visceral fat, rather than the fat just under the skin.

Dr Germán Carrasquilla, the lead author, said: “The influence of smoking on belly fat seems to happen regardless of other factors such as socioeconomic status, alcohol use, ADHD, or how much of a risk-taker someone is.

“From a public health point of view, these findings reinforce the importance of large-scale efforts to prevent and reduce smoking in the general population, as this may also help to reduce abdominal visceral fat and all the chronic diseases that are related to it.

“Reducing one major health risk in the population will, indirectly, reduce another major health risk.”

The study is published in the journal Addiction.