Exercise has been shown to reduce common smoking withdrawal symptoms and the desire to smoke in smokers.

February 10, 2007 - Exercise has been shown to reduce common smoking withdrawal symptoms and the desire to smoke in smokers. In the latest study a review of 12 papers looking at the connections between exercise and nicotine deprivations showed that as little as five minutes of moderate exercise, such as walking significantly reduced the intensity of smokers' nicotine withdrawal symptoms ( The acute effects of exercise on cigarette cravings: withdrawal symptoms, affect and smoking behavior; a systematic review, Adrain H. Taylor et al., Addiction 102(4): 534-543, 2007). In another study of 40 sedentary participants who had smoked at least 10 or more cigarettes per day for at least three years were assigned randomly to one or two groups. Those in the group that had brief bouts of moderate-intensity exercise found it lead to a rapid reduction in the desire to smoke and withdrawal discomfort ( The effect of exercise in reducing desire to smoke and cigarettes withdrawal symptoms is not caused by distraction, James Z. Daniel et al., Addiction 101(8): 1187-1192, 2006). These findings support recommendations to smokers to use exercise as a means of helping cope with the difficulties encountered when they try to stop.