- With Mayo Clinic emeritus internist
Edward C. Rosenow III, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Edward C. Rosenow III, M.D.
Edward C. Rosenow III, M.D.
Dr. Edward Rosenow III sees a natural link between the Information Age and health care as a way to promote better health. Dr. Rosenow, a Columbus, Ohio, native, is board certified in internal medicine and pulmonary disease and worked in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. He retired from clinical practice in 1996 after 30 years' service at Mayo Clinic.
"It has always been my feeling that the better informed the patient is about his or her body and its functions, the better the patient-physician partnership," he says. "The informed patient is in turn more compliant with the physician's recommendations and better able to make intelligent decisions about health care needs."
Dr. Rosenow is a former Arthur M. and Gladys D. Gray Professor of Medicine and former chair of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Mayo Clinic. He was also president of the American College of Chest Physicians, consultant to NASA on the Space Station Freedom project, president of the Mayo Clinic staff, a regent with the American College of Chest Physicians and program director of the internal medicine residency program at Mayo Clinic.
During his distinguished career, Dr. Rosenow was a five-time Teacher of the Year in internal medicine and inducted into the Mayo Fellows Hall of Fame of Outstanding Teachers.
In 1994, he won the Distinguished Mayo Clinician Award from Mayo Clinic staff and in 1995 was honored with the Ralph O. Claypoole Sr. Memorial Award for Lifetime Dedication to Patient Care by the American College of Physicians. He was named to a mastership by the American College of Physicians in 1998 and that year also won the Mayo Foundation Distinguished Alumnus Award. He is also a Master Fellow in the American College of Chest Physicians. In 2008, a professorship was established in his name — the Edward C. Rosenow III, M.D., Mayo Professorship in the Art of Medicine.
Dr. Rosenow has contributed to 156 publications, including 48 book chapters and one co-authored book.
Quit smoking basics (5)
- Smoking: Does it cause wrinkles?
- What is 'third-hand' smoke?
- Cigar smoking: Safer than cigarette smoking?
- see all in Quit smoking basics
Quit-smoking action plan (2)
- Lobelia supplements: Can they curb nicotine cravings?
- Nicotine patch: Any harm in long-term use?
Living smoke-free (2)
- Quit smoking, gain weight: Is it inevitable?
- I quit smoking: Why am I still coughing?
Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Question
Quit smoking, gain weight: Is it inevitable?
Is weight gain inevitable after you quit smoking? What causes this?
Answer
from Edward C. Rosenow III, M.D.
It's fairly common to gain weight after quitting smoking, especially in the first few months — but it isn't inevitable.
The nicotine in cigarettes acts as an appetite suppressant. The nicotine may slightly increase your metabolism as well. When you quit smoking, your appetite and metabolism return to normal — which may lead you to eat more and burn fewer calories. Also, your ability to smell and taste food improves after you quit smoking. This can make food more appealing, which may lead you to eat more. And if you substitute snacking for smoking, the calories may quickly add up.
To avoid weight gain when you quit smoking, make diet and exercise part of your quit-smoking plan. It may help to:
- Get moving. Include physical activity in your daily routine. Just 30 minutes of moderate exercise each day not only burns calories but helps relieve withdrawal symptoms and cravings.
- Make wise food choices. Plan good-for-you meals and snacks, including plenty of fruits and vegetables. Eat smaller portions. Limit sweets and alcohol.
- Keep your mouth busy. Chew on celery, carrot sticks, flavored toothpicks or sugarless gum.
- Track your eating habits. Keep a food diary, including when, what and how much you eat every day.
Above all, remember that the health benefits of being smoke-free far exceed the problems associated with even moderate weight gain. Lung damage and heart disease are irreversible — weight gain is not.
Next question
