Feeding cycles in smokers, exsmokers and nonsmokers.

Smokers, exsmokers and nonsmokers showed 50 to 150 minute cycles of consummatory behavior (eating and drinking) that appear to reflect a biological rhythm of oral drive. Smokers and exsmokers had significantly shorter cycles, i.e., more frequent consummatory peaks, than nonsmokers. If a greater frequency of consummatory peaks contributes to heightened oral drive in smokers, it may constitute a physiological factor underlying the initiation or maintenance of compulsive smoking and the degree of difficulty in quitting smoking and remaining abstinent.