Weight loss and altered circulating GI peptide levels of rats exposed chronically to nicotine.

This study was undertaken in male Sprague-Dawley rats to test the hypothesis that chronic ingestion of a low dose of nicotine suppresses body weight gain. The results from this study suggest that chronic nicotine ingestion induces weight loss in rats without the loss of their food intake. To determine whether the nicotine-induced body weight reductions are associated with endocrinological changes, the levels of gastrin and CCK in plasma were measured by specific radioimmunoassays and were found significantly elevated during chronic ingestion of nicotine. The data indicate that reduction of body weight mass by nicotine might be dependent on both hormonal and metabolic factors.