Nicotine lowers the body-weight set-point in male rats.

Set-point of body weight was assessed by the behavioral method of the weight threshold to hoard food. Intra-peritoneal injection of nicotine (0.02-0.05 mg/kg) significantly lowered the rats' body weight set-point by 8.5+/-2.7 and 19.2+/-2.6 g (p< or =0.05). These results suggest that the administration of low-dose nicotine lowers the body-weight set-point and may be important in predicting the anticipated gain in weight frequently reported upon withdrawal.