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Effects of exercise on the desire to smoke and physiological responses to temporary smoking abstinence: a crossover trial

journal contribution
posted on 2015-03-01, 00:00 authored by V Roberts, N Gant, J J Sollers, C Bullen, Y Jiang, Ralph MaddisonRalph Maddison
RATIONALE: Exercise has been shown to attenuate cigarette cravings during temporary smoking abstinence; however, the mechanisms of action are not clearly understood. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of the study were to compare the effects of three exercise intensities on desire to smoke and explore potential neurobiological mediators of desire to smoke. METHODS: Following overnight abstinence, 40 participants (25 males, 18-59 years) completed three 15 min sessions of light-, moderate-, or vigorous-intensity exercise on a cycle ergometer in a randomized crossover design. Ratings of desire to smoke were self-reported pre- and post-exercise and heart rate variability was measured throughout. Saliva and blood were analyzed for cortisol and noradrenaline in a sub-sample. RESULTS: Exercise influenced desire to smoke (F [2, 91] = 7.94, p < 0.01), with reductions greatest immediately after vigorous exercise. There were also significant time x exercise intensity interaction effects for heart rate variability and plasma noradrenaline (F [8, 72] = 2.23, p = 0.03), with a bias in noradrenaline occurring between light and vigorous conditions (adjusted mean difference [SE] = 2850 ng/ml [592], p < 0.01) at 5 min post-exercise. There was no interaction of time x exercise intensity for plasma and salivary cortisol levels. CONCLUSIONS: These findings support the use of vigorous exercise to reduce cigarette cravings, showing potential alterations in a noradrenergic marker.

History

Journal

Psychopharmacology

Volume

232

Issue

6

Pagination

1071 - 1081

Publisher

Springer

Location

Berlin, Germany

eISSN

1432-2072

Language

eng

Publication classification

C Journal article; C1.1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2015, Springer