Abstract
The present study was conducted to examine the effects of acute aerobic exercise on smoking behavior. On alternate days, 10 healthy young smokers were subjected to half an hour of sustained high exercise (about 56% of maximum work capacity) or of low exercise (about 28% of maximum, simulating normal daytime activity). During the high-exercise condition, there were pronounced increases in physiological markers of physical activity such as mean work, heart rate, and lactic acid as well as elevations in circulating hormones (norepinephrine, epinephrine, and immunoreactive beta-endorphin and cortisol) known to be affected by vigorous exercise. Despite a trend toward decreased desire for cigarettes after the high exercise condition, there were no differences in plasma nicotine levels following the smoking of a usual-brand cigarette 35 min later. The sustained effects of the two exercise conditions were also similar: plasma cotinine levels 24 hr later (reflecting nicotine intake over the entire exercise day) revealed no significant differences between hight and low exercise.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ashton, H., and Stepney, R. (1982).Smoking: Psychology and Pharmacology, Tavistock, London.
Bloom, S. R., Johnson, R. H., Park, D. M., Rennie, M. J., and Sulaiman, W. R. (1976). Differences in the metabolic and hormonal response to exercise between racing cyclists and untrained individuals.J. Physiol. 258: 1–18.
Carr, D. B., and Fishman, S. M. (1985). Exercise and the endogenous opioids. In Fotherby, K., and Pal, S. (eds.),Exercise Endocrinology, De Gruyter, New York.
Carr, D. B., Bullen, B. A., Skrinar, G. S., Arnold, M. a., Rosenblatt, M., Beitins, I. Z., Martin, J. B., and McArthur, J. W. (1981). Physical conditioning facilitates the exercise-induced secretion of beta-endorphin and beta-lipotropin in women.N. Engl. J. Med. 305: 560–563.
Cheraskin, E., and Ringsdorf, W. M. (1971). Predictive medicine: Physical activity.J. Am. Geriat. Soc. 19: 969–973.
Clee, M. D., and Clark, R. A. (1984). Tobacco smoking: The medical sequelae. In Balfour, D. J. K. (ed.),Nicotine and the Tobacco Smoking Habit, Pergamon Press, Oxford, pp. 177–198.
Davis, J. A., Whipp, B. J., La Marra, N., Huntsman, D. J., Frank, H., and Wasserman, K. (1982). Effects of ramp slope on determination of aerobic parameters from the ramp exercise test.Med. Sei. Sports Exer. 14: 339–343.
Dixon, W. J. (ed.) (1981).BMDP Statistical Software, University of California Press, Berkeley.
Durrett, L. R., and Ziegler, M. G. (1980). A sensitive reactive assay for catecholamine drugs.J. Neurosci. Res. 5: 587–598.
Evans, D., and Lane, D. S. (1980). Long-term outcome of smoking cessation workshops.Am. J. Publ. Health 70: 725–727.
Farrell, P. A., Gates, W. K., Maksud, M. G., and Morgan, W. P. (1982). Increases in plasma beta-endorphin/beta-lipotropin immunoreactivity after treadmill running in humans.J. Appl. Physiol. 52: 1245–1249.
Folinsbee, L. G., Wallace, E. S., Beldi, J. F., and Horvath, S. M. (1983). Exercise respiratory pattern in elite cyclists and sedentary subjects.Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 15: 503–509.
Folkins, C. H., and Sime, W. E., (1981). Physical fitness training and mental health.Am. Psychol. 36: 373–389.
Haley, N. J., Axelrad, C. M., and Tilton, K. A. (1983). Validation of self-reported smoking behavior: Biochemical analyses of cotinine and thiocyanate.Am. J. Publ. Health 73: 1204–1207.
Hartley, L. H., Mason, J. W., Hogan, R. P., Jones, L. G., Kotchen, T. A., Mousey, E. H., Wherry, F. E., Pennington, L. L., and Ricketts, P. T. (1972). Multiple hormonal responses to graded exercise in relation to physical training.J. Appl. Physiol. 33: 602–606.
Hickey, N., Mulcahy, R., Bourke, T., Graham, I., and Wilson-Davis, K. (1975). Study of coronary risk factors related to physical activity in 15,171 men.Br. Med. J. 3: 507–509.
Hill, P., Haley, N., and Wynder, E. (1983). Cigarette smoking as a risk for cardiovascular disease. 1. Biobehavioral analyses, carboxyhemoglobin, plasma nicotine, cotinine, and thiocyanate versus self-report smoking data.J. Chron. Dis. 36: 439–449.
Howley, T. J., Callahan, E. J., and Yaeter, R. (1980). Aerobic exercise and the treatment of cigarette smoking. Unpublished manuscript presented at the fourteenth Annual Convention of the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy.
Hughes, J. R. (1984). Psychological effects of habitual aerobic exercise: A critical review.Prevent. Med. 13: 66–78.
Karlson, J. (1971). Lactate and phosphogen concentrations in working muscles of man with special reference to oxygen deficit at the onset of work.Acta Physical. Scand. Suppl. 358: (entire issue).
Lichtenstein, E., and Brown, R. A. (1982). Current trends in the modification of cigarette dependence. In Bellack, M., Herson, M., and Kazdin, A. E., (eds.),International Handbook of Behavior Modification and Therapy, Plenum Press, New York, pp. 574–604.
Mangan, G. L., and Golding, J. F. (1984).The Psychopharmacology of Smoking, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Matsukura, S., Sakamoto, N. Seino, Y., Tamada, T., Matsuyama, H., and Muramaka, H. (1979). Cotinine excretion and daily cigarette smoking in habituated smokers.Clin. Pharmacol. Ther. 25: 555–561.
McNair, D. M., Loor, M., and Droppleman, L. F. (1971).Profile of Mood States, Educational and Industrial Testing Service, San Diego, Calif.
Mellerowic, H., and Smodlaka, V. N. (1981). Measurement and evaluation of maximal ergometric power. In Mellerowic, H., and Smodlaka, V. N. (eds.),Ergometry, Basics of Medical Exercise Test, Urban & Schwarzenberg, pp. 55–61.
Morgan, R., Gildiner, M., and Wright, G. (1976). Smoking reduction in adults who take up exercise: A survey of a running club for adults.J. Can. Assoc. Health Phys. Educ. Recreat. 52: 39–43.
Pechacek, T. (1979). Modification of smoking behavior. In Krasnegor, N. (ed.),The Behavioral Aspects of Smoking (NIDA Monograph 26), National Institute on Drug Abuse, Rockville, Md., pp. 127–188.
Pomerleau, O. F., and Pomerleau, C. S. (1984). Neuroregulators and the reinforcement of smoking: Towards a biobehavioral explanation.Neurosci. Biobehav. Rev. 8: 502–513.
Pomerleau, O. F., Fertig, J. B., Seyler, L. E., and Jaffe, J. (1983a). Neuroendocrine reactivity to nicotine in smokers.Psychopharmacology 83: 61–67.
Pomerleau, O. F., Fertig, J. B., and Shanahan, S. O. (1983b). Nicotine dependence in cigarette smoking: An empirically based, multivariate model.Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav. 19: 291–299.
Pomerleau, O. F., and Rodin, J. (1986). Behavioral medicine and health psychology. In Garfield, S. L., and Bergin, A. E. (Eds.),Handbook of Psychotherapy and Behavior Change (3rd ed.). Wiley, New York, pp. 483–522.
Selye, H. (ed.). (1980).Selye's Guide to Stress Research, Vol. 1, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York.
Seyler, L. E., Fertig, J. B., Pomerleau, O. F., Hunt, D., and Parker, K. (1984). The effects of smoking on ACTH and cortisol secretion.Life Sei. 34: 57–65.
Shiffman, S., and Jarvik, M. (1976). Smoking withdrawal symptoms in two weeks of abstinence.Psychopharmacologia 50: 35–39.
Sinyor, D., Schwartz, S. G., Peronnet, F., Brisson, G., and Seraganian, P., (1983). Aerobic fitness level and reactivity to psychosocial stress: Physiological, biochemical and subjective measures.Psychom. Med. 45: 205–217.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
The authors acknowledge with gratitude the assistance of Judith L. Cooney, Ned Cooney, Nancy Haley, Mark Majchrzak, Stephanie M. Nespor, and Edward Shaskan. Partial support for this research was provided by National Cancer Institute Grant CA/DA 42730, by the Arthur Thornton Fund, and by the New Britain General Hospital Auxiliary.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Pomerleau, O.F., Scherzer, H.H., Grunberg, N.E. et al. The effects of acute exercise on subsequent cigarette smoking. J Behav Med 10, 117–127 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00846420
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00846420