Nicotine Patch and Weight Loss – What You Need to Know

Quitting smoking may be an obstacle for some. However, if you have successfully quit smoking, congratulations! But the party does not start yet. According to studies, if you are chain smoker that gave up smoking, you will gain up to eight pounds. Hence there are some products that work by eliminating the craving for smoking and at the same time helping you lose weight. Scientists are now developing a nicotine patch and weight loss that helps hit two birds with one stone.

Smoking as weight control

Smoking is usually associated with weight loss. Hence, some women have resorted to smoking to help them lose weight. In a University of Toronto study, girls who believed themselves to be overweight were 50% more likely to be smokers than those who believed themselves to be of average weight or too thin.

Why does one gain weight after going cold turkey?

Just as nicotine is believed to help speed up metabolism, quitting smoking can make your metabolism slow down and make you gain weight even though you’re not eating more food. Once you have given up smoking, you will usually feel hungrier and food will taste better. You also need something to replace the butts and some people turn to food. The combination of consuming more calories while burning less results in weight gain.

How to keep the pounds off

Exercise and a balanced diet are the best solutions to losing weight after smoking. Studies show that smokers have an easier time quitting when they add exercise to their smoking cessation program.

Your healthy diet is critical as well. But studies have also shown that for smokers, exercise is easy but dieting is not. As a result, many turn their cravings for nicotine into longings for food, satisfying the oral gratification they’re not getting.

The new drug Acomplia

In 2006, the French company Sanofi-Synthelabo has released a nicotine patch and weight loss product called. Acomplia, is the brand name for the drug Rimonabant, is a nicotine patch and weight loss product combined in one pill. It is designed to help you stop both food and cigarette cravings – hence, helping you quit smoking and lose weight at the same time!

In a research conducted by Sanofi-Synthelabo, Acomplia actually helped obese individuals lose an average of 20 lbs. and in another doubled the chances that smokers would quit.

How it works

The nicotine patch and weight loss drug works through the active ingredient of Rimonabant. Rimonabant works by blocking the CB1 receptor, one of two receptors found in a newly described physiological system called the Endocannabinoid System (EC System), which is thought to play a crucial role in regulating food intake and energy expenditure.

Once these signals are blocked, your cravings are controlled that results in weight loss, improvement of cardiovascular/metabolic risk factors in overweight and obese patients, and appears to reduce tobacco dependence without post-cessation weight gain in people who smoke.

Smoking cessation programs

Combining nicotine patch and weight loss remains in constant study at present. However, research has shown that other nicotine products like nasal spray and inhaler have a higher success rate compared to the nicotine patch.

Regular diet patches

For non-smokers, taking a nicotine patch and weight loss product might be dangerous. So instead of taking a nicotine patch and weight loss product, they should be using a regular diet patch instead.

A regular diet patch works just like a nicotine patch. Just as a nicotine patch suppresses your cravings for cigarettes, a diet patch curbs your cravings for food.

The ingredients of a typical diet patch are as follows:

1. Fucus Vesiculosus – helps increase the body’s metabolism, burn more calories and enhance digestion.

2. Guarana – a stimulant which also helps to increase to the metabolism while keeping energy levels high.

3. 5-HTP – helps control sweet and carbohydrate cravings by controlling serotonin levels in the brain.

4. Zinc Pyruvate – assists in the breakdown of fat cells while helping to build lean muscle mass.

5. DHEA – helps the body to manage the intake of calories more efficiently.

6. Yerba Mate – A powerful appetite suppressant from South America.

7. Lecithin – Helps to breakdown fats and cholesterol and balance body weight

8. Flaxseed Oil – Keeps a balance of essential fatty acids for healthier dieting

9. L-Carnitine – Increases the bodies fat burning capabilities

10. Zinc Citrate – An essential mineral often lost when losing weight.

Effectiveness

Nicotine patch and weight loss is proven to go hand in hand when it comes to helping smokers lose weight. However, further studies should still be conducted to strengthen the known results we have at present.