14 DAY TRIAL // In a recent paper, researchers with the Brigham Young University in Utah, US, argue that, according to evidence at hand, second-hand smoke not only causes all sorts of health trouble, but also takes its toll on your average Joe or Jane's silhouette.
Thus, writing in the American Journal of Physiology: Endocrinology and Metabolism, the scientists argue that second-hand smoke messes with people's figure by encouraging weight gain.
What's more, they claim that people who spend a great deal of time around smokers and breathe it the compounds released whenever these folks light up are more likely to develop cardiovascular or metabolic problems.
The link between second-hand smoke and weight gain
As part of their investigation into how second-hand smoke influences weight and overall health, the Brigham Young University researchers carried out a series of experiments on laboratory mice.
Specifically, the scientists exposed several such rodents to cigarette smoke and kept tabs on how this affected their figure. It was thus discovered that, when made to breathe in second-hand smoke, the mice all started gaining weight.
To better understand this link between exposure to cigarette smoke and weight gain, the specialists decided to have a closer look at the mice's cells. They found that, the more smoke the rodents were exposed to, the more insulin their bodies produced.
This happened because, following their breathing in the cigarette smoke, the mice became insulin resistant. When their bodies started producing more of this compounds in an attempt to compensate, the rodents got fat, the researchers explain in their paper.
The Brigham Young University scientists believe that their findings also hold true in the case of humans and argue that this can only mean that, as surprising as this may sound, simply sharing a home with a smoker ups a person's risk to become overweight or even obese.
“The lungs provide a vast interface with our environment and this research shows that a response to involuntary smoking includes altering systemic sensitivity to insulin,” researcher Paul Reynolds said in a statement.
“Once someone becomes insulin resistant, their body needs more insulin. And any time you have insulin go up, you have fat being made in the body,” the specialist went on to comment on this link between second-hand smoke and weight gain.
Mind you, it's not all bad news
As detailed in the American Journal of Physiology: Endocrinology and Metabolism, second-hand smoke promotes insulin resistance and, consequently, weight gain by turning a lipid dubbed ceramide into a regular Mr. Hyde and causing it to alter normal cell function.
Hence, it is believed that, by toying with this lipid and inhibiting it, it might be possible to prevent weight gain resulting from exposure to cigarette smoke. Presently, researcher Paul Reynolds and colleagues are trying to find a ceramide inhibitor that can be safely used in humans.
Commenting on the find that science could help limit the harmful effects of second-hand smoke on people, study author Benjamin Bikman said, “The idea that there might be some therapy we could give to innocent bystanders to help protect them from the consequences of being raised in a home with a smoker is quite gratifying.”