Teenagers who are overweight or obese are more likely to become smokers, a study has found.

US researchers set out to investigate whether being overweight put teenagers at a higher risk for substance abuse. They questioned thousands of teenagers about their physical and mental health in 1995, 1996 and 2001.

All were asked about their use of cigarettes, marijuana and alcohol and all had their body mass index (BMI) measured.

While the researchers found no link between overweight and marijuana or alcohol use, they did find an increased risk when it came to smoking cigarettes. Those who were overweight or obese were more likely to become smokers compared to their normal-weight peers.

According to the researchers from the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA), while there are many reasons why young people smoke, ‘for overweight or obese adolescents, the increased desire to improve social standing or fit in with others may also increase the probability of engaging in regular cigarette smoking'.

They also pointed out that some young people may smoke because they believe that the habit can suppress appetite and therefore help with weight loss. However, this is a myth, the researchers insisted, and in fact, people who smoke tend to crave more fatty foods than non-smokers.

Details of these findings are published in the American Journal of Health Behavior.