Weight Gain after Quitting Smoking Does Not Negate Cardiovascular Benefits.

People who stop smoking cut their risk of heart attack, stroke, or cardiovascular death in half, and any weight gain did not change that risk reduction, according to a JAMA analysis of Framingham Offspring Study data. The finding held true even for people with diabetes. Data for the study came from participant visits conducted from the mid-1980s into the mid-2000s, totaling 11,148 individual person-exams. Recent quitters gained more weight than smokers, never smokers, and long-term quitters. But regardless of weight gained, the risk of cardiovascular events in the 6 years after quitting dropped in half.