CANBERRA, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Researchers in Australia have found that exercise can modestly improve smoking cessation outcomes, offering a low-cost tool to support quitting alongside established treatments.
The study found that exercise can help people quit smoking by reducing cigarette consumption, easing cravings and improving their chances of quitting, according to a statement from Australia's Adelaide University released on Thursday.
Adelaide University researchers examined 59 randomized controlled trials involving more than 9,000 participants and found that people taking part in exercise programs were 15 percent more likely to achieve continuous abstinence and 21 percent more likely to report not smoking over a seven-day period compared with control groups.
The findings, published in the Journal of Sport and Health Science, showed that exercise could reduce cigarette consumption by two cigarettes per day, and that a single bout of exercise was shown to immediately reduce cigarette cravings for up to 30 minutes.
Adelaide University Professor Carol Maher, the study's senior researcher, said exercise could help manage short-term cravings but should complement, not replace, evidence-based interventions such as counseling and medication.
Globally, tobacco use remains the leading preventable cause of premature death, accounting for about 7 million deaths annually, according to the World Health Organization.
Researchers said further work is needed to integrate exercise into real-world cessation programs and to assess its role in helping people quit vaping. ■
