For those who (yet again) have earmarked giving up smoking for their New Year's Resolution, then there is some good news on the way: Facilitas Healthcare has come up with some important new information: regular consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables reduces craving.
The research divulged by Facilitas Healthcare is based on a study carried out by the University of Oxford, England, which revealed that smokers who consume a minimum average daily portion of four pieces of fruit and vegetables have three times more likelihood of having less craving for nicotine than those who consume two pieces or less.
The study, carried out over 14 months, shows that those who crave less have a better chance of giving up. Previous studies had revealed that smokers consume less fruit and vegetables than non-smokers. One reason could be that certain food products create a sense of unpleasantness when mixed with cigarette smoke. Another reason could be that fruit is often consumed between meals and the cigarette, reducing appetite, is a quick and easy substitute; and finally, those who are likely to eat more fruit and vegetables are probably more health-conscious and therefore more probably to resist the urge to smoke.
Alcohol, red meat and caffeine, on the other hand, are associated with a greater dependence on nicotine and increased craving.
The study was carried out on over one thousand smokers over 25 years of age and monitored their habits over a period of fourteen months. Apart from the reduced craving, yet associated with it, according to the study, was also the fact that those who consumed four or more portions of fruit or vegetables daily were more likely to start smoking the first cigarette later in the day, to experience less craving and also to smoke fewer cigarettes.
Timofei Belov
Pravda.Ru