Smoking and your metabolism

What does smoking do to your metabolism?

Smoking suppresses your appetite, by reducing your sense of smell and taste for food, reducing gastric contractions and increasing your blood sugar level. 

It also slows the production of fat and aids the breakdown of fat reserves in the body. It increases your base metabolism, ie the amount of energy your body consumes when you're at rest. Someone who smokes a packet a day burns 250 more calories than someone who doesn't smoke. So obviously when you stop smoking your body reverts back to its normal functions. Sometimes there is a slight weight gain, especially in people who didn't eat properly while they smoked.