Question Title: Can Exercise Compensate for or Ameliorate the effects of Smoking?

Doctor,

I have looked in a number of places for information on this topic. I have also asked Doctors about it. They generally say that smokers who exercise will be much less likely to have heart disease. They do not generally say anything about lung disease, but I note there were only 5000 lung cancer deaths in 1930 when people walked a great deal more than they do now.

I know it would not be acceptable to you to advise someone to exercise as a way to ameliorate the effects of smoking, but I do not intend to quit anytime soon. Given this fact, which is true for many others, do you know more details on this subject or know where such facts would be.

Dale

Dear Dale,

This is a good question and I searched the medical literature to see what I could find on this topic. I found only 2 studies which seemed particularly relevant. One of them indicated that exercise is most helpful in reversing the morbidity caused by smoking AFTER the smoker has stopped. The other study showed VERY MODEST risk reduction from exercise in current smokers. The consensus seems to be that the damage done by smoking GREATLY OUTWEIGHS any help one might get from exercising. The conclusions to be drawn from this are fairly obvious.

There is no single thing one can do to improve one's health which has as much benefit as stopping smoking. It is almost never convenient to stop - but the sooner you begin to work at it the sooner you will succeed and the more likely it is that you will begin to reverse the damage you are inflicting upon yourself on a daily basis.

Good Luck!

Steve Adelman, M.D.

Keywords: Smoking, Smoking Cessation, Exercise