Nicotine is a stimulant found in plants of the nightshade family, which includes tobacco. This drug is responsible for the addiction to smoking cigarettes and the use of other tobacco products. Although no studies have shown an increase in athletic performance due to nicotine, exercise can reduce nicotine cravings, while improving lung function and cardiovascular health.
Exercise Performance
An article appearing in the spring 2007 issue of “Preventive Cardiology” investigated whether reduced exposure to nicotine or smoking cessation would improve exercise performance in 18 adult male smokers. The participants were divided into three groups: one continued to smoke, a second group switched to a electrically heated cigarette-smoking system and a third group abstained from smoking for three days prior to the trail. The study found that reduced smoking and abstinence resulted in greater work capacity, increased oxygen uptake, increased lung capacity and less dyspnea, or breathlessness, . The study concluded that smoking cessation or the use of an EHCSS may improve cardiovascular function in middle-aged male smokers.
Exercise and Nicotine Cravings
Moderate exercise can alleviate cravings for nicotine, according to a study in the January 2008 issue of the “Journal of Sports Science.” Researchers examined the differences in moderate or vigorous exercise on the cravings of nicotine and whether they were associated with levels of cortisol, a stress hormone produced by the adrenal glands. Eighteen participants were recruited for the trail, which consisted of walking or running during three 15-minute sessions on separate days. Participants rated their nicotine cravings before treatment, midtreatment, and at 0, 10, 20 and 30 minutes after treatment. The study found no significant differences between walking and running on the cravings to smoke but noted a significant decrease compared to a control group not participating in the exercise regimes. However, a decline in cortisol was only detected in the running group.
Cerebral Arteries
A study published in the October 2010 issue of the “Journal of Applied Physiology” investigated the effects of exercise on dilation of cerebral arterioles, which are the smallest arteries in the brain, during chronic exposure to nicotine in rats. The researchers treated the test animals with 2 mg of nicotine per kg of body weight for four weeks and measured their production of destructive oxygen radicals in comparison to nonexposed rats. The study found impaired dilation of brain blood vessels in the nicotine-treated animals compared to nonexposed animals. The authors concluded that exercise restored vessel function in rats chronically exposed to nicotine.
Transdermal Nicotine Patches
An article in the March 2011 issue of “Sports Medicine” described the side effects of transdermal nicotine patches used during exercising of participation in sporting events. The authors cite several case reports and clinical studies that reported increased plasma nicotine levels and toxicity due to increase drug absorption during physical exercise. The authors compiled this information to educate health care providers, trainers and coaches on the dangers of transdermal nicotine patches. The authors concluded that precaution should be advised on the use of these patches, especially to those participating in extreme sporting events of long duration.
References
- “Preventive Cardiology”; Effects of Levels of Cigarette Smoke Exposure on Symptom-Limited Spiroergometry; M. Unverdorben, et al.; Spring 2007
- “Journal of Sports Science”; Effects of Exercise on Cravings to Smoke: The Role of Exercise Intensity and Cortisol; F. Scerbo, et al.; January 2008
- “Journal of Applied Physiology”; Exercise Training Restores Impaired Dilator Responses of Cerebral Arterioles during Chronic Exposure to Nicotine; W. Mahan, et al.; October 2010
- “Sports Medicine”; Transdermal Patch Drug Delivery Interactions with Exercise; T. Lenz, et al.; March 2011
