Dark chocolate reduces cigarette cravings, says Brazilian study

One of the main difficulties faced by smokers looking to quit is overcoming the abstinence period, which generally lasts two to three weeks. Craving is manifested by feelings of discomfort, anguish and an intense desire to smoke again. Several strategies are used to help smokers get through this period without giving up. A study by the Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF), conducted in Brazil, reveals that dark chocolate can be an alternative to help those who want to give up the addiction.

You search results (read more below about how it was carried out) indicate that the daily consumption of a portion of 40 grams of dark chocolate (with 70% cocoa) contributed to the reduction of cravings in smokers who were undergoing treatment. And importantly: without affecting the patients’ body measurements.

The fear of gaining weight is precisely one of the reasons why people are reluctant to stop smoking. According to nutritionist Aline Silva de Aguiar, a specialist in chemical dependency and responsible for the study, this occurs because smokers develop food selectivity due to the action of nicotine, which accelerates metabolism and interferes with the taste buds of the tongue, reducing the sensation of taste of foods for smokers.

“He tends to skip meals, not eat breakfast, he tends to always eat monotonously because he doesn't feel the pleasure of the flavor. Associated with this, the Body Mass Index (BMI) of those who smoke tends to be lower. Generally, he is a thinner person. So, when you stop smoking, the person starts to compensate for this lack of smoking by eating more palatable foods, generally sweet, fatty and ultra-processed. Without nicotine, the metabolism stops being accelerated and returns to normal. Therefore, the person may gain a little weight”, explains Aguiar, who is also a professor at the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at the Faculty of Nutrition at UFF. She points out that “the weight gain when stopping smoking is negligible compared to the benefits of giving up smoking”.

How the research was carried out

The research was carried out by nutritionists from the Translational Nutrition Research Group at UFF, coordinated by Aguiar. For a month, they carried out a clinical intervention study with 47 smokers with chronic comorbidities (including diabetes and hypertension) who were treated at the Comprehensive Assistance Unit for Smokers, of the Interdisciplinary Center for Studies and Research in Nephrology, in the city of Juiz de Fora (MG).

“We work with patients with comorbidities, who are generally excluded from other clinical studies,” he explains. The approach to treating smoking is based on the protocol proposed by the National Cancer Institute (Inca).

The nutritionist highlighted that most services aimed at smoking cessation do not have nutritionists on staff – therefore, she decided to participate in an outpatient clinic within the Unified Health System (SUS) to be able to assess the impact of the food (in this case, the chocolate) as part of the smoking cessation intervention.
Smokers who participated in the intervention study were divided into two groups: one of them received 40 grams of dark chocolate to consume throughout the week, in addition to receiving nutritional guidance for smoking cessation given by nutritionists. The other group, the control, received only nutritional guidance.

“There was no way to create a placebo group because we were offering chocolate. We formed a group that received a mix of dried fruits and oilseeds, but the results will be reported in another article”, says the researcher.

Every week, volunteers answered a questionnaire about cravings when they returned for treatment at the unit. At the end of this period, when analyzing the responses, the researchers concluded that the group that consumed chocolate reported fewer episodes of craving and less desire to smoke compared to the group that received only behavioral intervention. Furthermore, when compared to the dried fruit mix, chocolate also showed superior results.

But after all, what does dark chocolate have? According to the nutritionist, cocoa has a large amount of compounds that impact cognitive processes and mood changes, in addition to offering antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. Cocoa consumption contributes to reducing stress, helping to minimize symptoms associated with anxiety and mood changes. The choice of dark chocolate (70%) was precisely due to its higher concentration of cocoa, which translates into more beneficial effects.

Strategies for dealing with withdrawal

Withdrawal syndrome represents a significant challenge for smokers, as it can compromise the process and result in relapses. Many abandon treatment due to difficulty dealing with this problem.

“Most smokers need more than one attempt to quit smoking precisely because of this. Many people need two, three, four, even five attempts. We have to make it clear to the patient that this is normal and continue encouraging them so that, as soon as they feel confident again, they make a new attempt”, explained pulmonologist Luiza Helena Degani Costa, from Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, and professor of Albert Einstein Israeli Faculty of Health Sciences.

There are several strategies for preventing and treating cravings, which range from medicinal approaches, such as the use of nicotine replacement therapy and medications to reduce anxiety, to lifestyle changes, which include practicing physical exercise to reduce cravings. anxiety and binge eating. You should also avoid situations that trigger the desire to smoke, such as the consumption of alcohol and coffee, and look for alternatives, such as eating carrot sticks, fennel or pieces of apple when the urge to smoke arises. Typically, patients are advised to avoid replacing cigarettes with sweets or candies, as this often contributes to weight gain.

With the results of this study, the nutritionist's idea is that smokers have more options available when they crave. “Did you feel like smoking? Take a small piece of 70% cocoa chocolate, put it in your mouth, under your tongue, and slowly taste the flavor. This helps with the feeling of well-being,” she suggests.

In the opinion of Einstein's pulmonologist, the study addresses an important topic, which is the prevention and treatment of cravings in patients in the process of smoking cessation, although it does not yet present definitive evidence: “other work needs to be done, with a larger sample size , making clear the rate of adherence to the proposed therapy and evaluating the successful or unsuccessful outcome of smoking cessation and possible relapse”.

“What causes significant weight gain is the exchange of the compulsion to smoke for the compulsion to eat, sweets and sweets. What we need to do is treat, prevent triggers and guide the patient in early recognition of the craving. The more strategies we have, the better it will be for the patient. If dark chocolate can help you go through this process in a lighter and less stressful way, it will be very good. The process will never be simple, it will never be easy, but we can try to make it less difficult”, concluded the pulmonologist.