A new study conducted at the University of Florida has revealed that teen girls who are on dieting are twice as likely to start smoking on a regular basis, as compared to girls who may not be on diet.

Researchers analyzed about 8,000 teenage girls to watch their dieting and smoking routines.

They discovered that dieting did not have the equal effect on boys as it performed on girls.

Mildred Maldonado-Molina who led the study stated, “Dieting was a significant predictor of initiation of regular smoking among females.”

“In boys we found something we don’t understand yet. We found that those who were inactive dieters, those who first started dieting and then stopped were more likely to engage in smoking behavior,” Mildred added

According to the CDC 22% of high school children and 8% of middle school kids are smokers.