Dieting may cause females to take up smoking, a new study shows. This is particularly true of adolescent females, and is believed to have two main causes -- Nicotine's ability to supress hunger, and the need to replace one addiction with another. I think these findings are also closely linked with self-esteem -- both the need to diet and succeptibility to indulge in unhealthy, yet trendy, habits stem from self confidence. As a bit of an aside, I know someone who loses weight by replacing food with extra cigarettes (she will literally have cigarettes for dinner) and I can't even begin to articulate how wrong and unhealthy that is.

I think this is a very good reminder to promote a sense of healthy body image in our girls. What are your thoughts?