Effect of glucose tablets on craving for cigarettes
Clients attending a smokers clinic were randomly allocated to two groups to assess the effects of glucose tablets in reducing craving for cigarettes. Smokers who had already been abstinent for 1 week were eligible to take part in the study. All subjects completed ratings relating to urge to smoke and craving. Then subjects in one group were given packets of dextrose tablets and those in the other group were given packets of tablets containing sorbitol (a low calorie sweetener). Ratings of urges to smoke and craving were taken after 1 week, during which time the subjects had been asked to chew their tablets ad lib. Eight out of ten smokers in each group maintained abstinence. The remaining two smokers either did not abstain or did not turn up for the second measurement session. There was a significant reduction in ratings of urges to smoke and craving in the glucose group compared with the sorbitol group. These results support a theory postulating a link between glucoregulation and cigarette craving. If the results are replicated and it is shown that the reduction in craving translates into improved abstinence rates, oral glucose could be of assistance to smokers wishing to give up.