Milk may do the body good by helping smokers break the habit, according to researchers at Duke University.

Smokers said that consuming milk, water, fruits and vegetables worsened the taste of cigarettes. Consuming alcohol, coffee and meat enhanced their taste.

The head of the study, Joseph McClernon, said the information could lead to a diet or gum that helps smokers quit.

In the study, 209 smokers were asked to name items that worsen or enhance the taste of cigarettes.

Nineteen percent of them reported that dairy products worsen the taste of cigarettes; 14 percent reported noncaffeinated beverages, such as water or juice; and 16 percent reported fruits and vegetables.

Forty-four percent of them reported that alcoholic beverages enhance the taste of cigarettes; 45 percent reported caffeinated beverages, such as tea, cola and coffee; and 11 percent reported meat.

Smokers of menthol cigarettes were less likely to report that any foods or beverages altered the taste of cigarettes.

Researchers are also looking at the possibility of using the chemical silver acetate, which is known to alter the taste of cigarettes, to help smokers quit. The additive could be given in the form of a gum or a lozenge as part of smoking cessation treatment.

The director of the center that performed the study said silver acetate would not be a magic bullet.

"Every deterrent treatment requires willpower," Jed E. Rose said. "This approach alone will not work. It may make cigarettes less pleasurable, but ultimately, if a person is craving a cigarette, he will start smoking again."

Rose recommends that diet modifications be used in combination with standard nicotine replacement therapy -- such as the nicotine patch and nicotine gum -- to help with withdrawal.

The findings appear in the April 2007 issue of the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research. The research was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.