Healthy diet spoils taste for cigarettes

Trying to quit smoking? Cut back on coffee and alcohol and up your intake of milk, water, fruit and vegetables, suggest US researchers from Duke University Medical Center.

In a study of 209 smokers, 45 percent said that coffee enhanced the taste of cigarettes, while 44 per cent and 11 per cent said alcohol and meat had same effect. Food that spoils the taste were milk, fruit, vegetables and water.

"Smoking is a highly habitual behavior," says Dr. Joe McClernon, director of the university's Tabacco Research Laboratory. "Anything that can worsen the experience can help break the habit."