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Smoking impairs muscle recovery from exercise
Thomas B Price1, Suchitra Krishnan-Sarin, Douglas L Rothman
1Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06510, USA. thomas.price@yale.edu
American Journal of Physiology. Endocrinology and Metabolism
|March 15, 2003
Summary
Cigarette smoking impairs muscle recovery after exercise by hindering glycogen resynthesis in the later stages of recovery. This suggests smoking reduces glucose uptake, impacting carbohydrate metabolism in healthy young smokers.
Area of Science:
- Exercise Physiology
- Metabolic Health
- Smoking Cessation
Background:
- Cigarette smoking is linked to adverse health outcomes, including insulin resistance and increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
- Nicotine exposure may negatively affect carbohydrate metabolism and muscle function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of cigarette smoking on muscle glycogen recovery following exercise in young, healthy individuals.
- To assess smoking-induced alterations in carbohydrate metabolism during the recovery phase.
Main Methods:
- Utilized 31P-13C NMR spectroscopy to measure muscle glycogen and glucose 6-phosphate levels.
- Compared recovery in the gastrocnemius muscle of healthy male smokers (n=8) and age/weight-matched non-smoking controls (n=10).
- Subjects performed glycogen-depleting exercise, with recovery monitored for 4 hours, alongside plasma glucose and insulin measurements.
Main Results:
- Muscle glycogen depletion levels were similar between smokers and controls.
- Glycogen synthesis rates were comparable during the first hour of recovery.
- Significant impairment in glycogen synthesis (P=0.0002) and reduced glucose 6-phosphate levels (P=0.0212) were observed in smokers between hours 1 and 4 of recovery.
Conclusions:
- Cigarette smoking impairs the insulin-dependent component of muscle recovery after glycogen-depleting exercise.
- The observed impairment in glycogen resynthesis is likely due to reduced glucose uptake in smokers.
- Findings highlight a potential mechanism by which smoking affects carbohydrate metabolism and muscle function.