Smoking Impairs the Response to a Physical Training Regime: A Study of Officer Cadets

Long term effects of smoking on physical fitness and lung function: a longitudinal study of 1393 middle aged Norwegian men for seven years

“…Various studies—none of which provide follow up data—have indicated a lower physical performance in smokers than in non-smokers 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12. One major cross sectional study, which addressed this aspect by means of symptom limited exercise testing,12 produced results virtually identical to our baseline findings—that is, smoking being associated with lower heart rate response on all exercise levels, lower maximal heart rate, and lower maximal working capacity.…”

“…Extensive data show that smoking considerably accelerates the sequential decline in lung function,4 but little is known about the long term effect of smoking on physical performance. Thus, whereas cross sectional data indicate lower physical performance and response to training in smokers than in non-smokers,5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 no study has to our knowledge reported prospective long term data on change in physical performance in relation to smoking habits.…”

The effect of cardioprotective diet rich with natural antioxidants on chronic inflammation and oxidized LDL during cardiac rehabilitation in patients after acute myocardial infarction

“…Our study did not demonstrate lower exercise capacity of smokers, but a study performed by Hoad and Clay showed impeded performance adaption of British Army Officer cadets, who were smokers. Performance improvement in 6 month training program proved to be significantly greater in nonsmokers [41]. The underlying mechanisms induced by smoking that mediate impaired adaption to training remain unclear, but several mechanisms such as oxidative stress, inflammation and circulatory hormone levels have been suggested [42], [43], [44].…”

Risk factors for heat illness among British soldiers in the hot Collective Training Environment

“…A recent study of Army training establishments in the UK found a lower, but still substantial, smoking prevalence of 29% 14. Direct evidence of a role for tobacco in the development of heat illness is lacking, but smoking-associated risks that could precipitate or contribute to an episode in military personnel include decreased physical fitness26 27 and intercurrent illness 1928 29 It is disappointing that the requirement to achieve significant reductions in smoking among British Army personnel23 25 is yet to be met in the training environment and a fresh approach to prevention may be required.…”