New evidence on link between obesity and smoking behaviour from genetic data: obese people at higher risk of smoking

A study by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) provides new evidence that increased weight and obesity may result in increased smoking. The study, published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), found that increased body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage, and waist circumference were associated both with a higher risk of being a smoker and with greater smoking intensity.

Carreras-Torres R, Johansson M, Haycock PC, Relton CL, Smith GD, Brennan P, et al.
Role of obesity in smoking behaviour: Mendelian randomisation study in UK Biobank
BMJ. Published online 16 May 2018; https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.k1767

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Read IARC Press Release 259