Increased 24-Hour Energy Expenditure in Cigarette Smokers

To the Editor: The work of Hofstetter et al. (Jan. 9 issue)¹ on increased 24-hour energy expenditure in cigarette smokers leaves little room for argument concerning the accuracy of their data. The publicity that this investigation received, however, prompts close examination of the widely reported conclusions regarding expected weight gain in persons who “kick the habit.” On the basis of the smoking-induced rise in energy expenditure observed in this study, the authors predict that subjects who stop smoking 24 cigarettes per day may be expected to gain as much as 10 kg. The perceived inevitability of weight gain is already.