Behavioral scientist and psychologist F. Joseph McClernon of Duke University Medical Center (Durham, North Carolina) and fellow collaborators conducted a 2002-2004 medical study where over 200 male and female smokers, who each, on average, smoked about 22 cigarettes a day, were asked which foods increased or decreased the taste of cigarettes.

Fruits, dairy products such as cheese and cold milk, vegetables such as broccoli, and non-caffeinated drinks such as water and juices made cigarettes taste worse while alcohol such as beer, caffeinated beverages such as coffee, and various meats increased the desire for tobacco.

Following the study—which is written up in the April issue (volume 9, pages 1-6) of Nicotine & Tobacco Research—McClernon’s team suggested that a 'smoker’s diet' might be advisable to people trying to stop smoking. Eating and drinking foods such as more fruits and vegetables might make cigarette smoking less pleasurable.

The study could eventually lead to a new type of anti-smoking product, that make cigarettes less desirable to smokers trying to quit based on the negative relationship certain foods and tobacco.

Currently, however, it is unknown how and why some foods have a negative effect on the taste of cigarettes while others have a positive effect. McClernon intends to make this unknown relationship the next step in his study of foods and cigarettes.

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