Never-smokers with a positive family smoking history are more likely to be overweight or obese than never-smokers with a negative family smoking history

To shed light on the complex relationship between smoking and body weight, we used never-smokers stratified oil family smoking history to model the effects of a diathesis for smoking oil body weight without the potential confound of metabolic changes or decreased physical activity caused by chronic tobacco smoke exposure. Participants were 100 family history negative never-smokers (FH-: 2 never-smoking parents) and 71 family history positive never-smokers (FH+; 2 ever-smoking parents). Controlling for significant group differences in race and age, BMI was significantly higher in FH+ (26.7+/-.6) than in FH- (24.5+/-.4; F=10.351 p<.01). Further analysis using logistic regression showed that FH+ Were 2.7 times as likely to be overweight/obese (BMI >= 25: 95% C.I. 1.398-5.351: p<.01). FH+ scored significantly higher oil the Dieting and Bingeing Severity Scale than FH- and were significantly more likely to score in the severe or at-risk range. FH+ drank significantly more alcohol than FH-; they scored significantly higher oil the CAGE and oil the Michigan Alcohol Screening Test. Our analyses provide support for the role of inherited and/or environmentally-driven tendencies towards disinhibited eating and/or risky behaviors in general in the observed differences in BMI. No group differences in BMI or likelihood of being overweight/obese emerged based Oil prenatal exposure to nicotine in FH+ smokers, although our sample was too small to Rile cot all association. Further research in larger samples, using more complex statistical models, will be needed to disentangle these issues and identify casual pathways. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.