th birthdays. Then they were questioned further in their 20s.

Half of the participants had never smoked, while 12 percent were former smokers in adolescence.

Fifteen and a half percent of men and 9.4 percent of women smoked at least ten cigarettes a day.

By their mid twenties, weight problems became evident with 24 percent of men and 11 percent of women. However, the weight gain in males was not more prone to smokers than non-smokers. According to the study, women that smoked more than ten cigarettes a day were 2.32 times more likely to gain weight than non-smokers were.

"The difference could be either biological or cultural," Saarni said.

"Biologically it may be that tobacco and gender specific hormones interact differently in boys and girls in ways that affect appetite and fat distribution."

During adolescence especially, there are chances that girls are smoking in order to control weight. Sherry Pagoto, assistant professor in clinical psychology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School believes.

"When people do quit smoking, one of the reasons they do gain weight is that they increase their consumptions of food," Pagoto said.

"They’ll start snacking at times they used to smoke."

(Some information courtesy of www. sciencedaily.com)