`Run away` from smoking addiction

Washington D.C. [USA]: Here's another reason why you should quit smoking and start running instead.

New research in mice sheds light on the mechanism underlining exercise's protective effect against nicotine dependence and withdrawal.

The study reveals that exercise during nicotine exposure markedly reduces the severity of nicotine withdrawal symptoms, an effect that is accompanied by increased activation of a7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (which are targets of nicotine) in the hippocampal region of the brain.

"The findings support the protective effect of exercise preceding smoking cessation against the development of physical dependence, which may aid smoking cessation by reducing the severity of withdrawal symptoms," said senior author Dr. Alexis Bailey, of St. George's University of London.

The findings have been published in the British Journal of Pharmacology.