Staff | CBC News

Taking a short walk seems to help smokers resist the temptation to light up, a review of studies concludes.

The 12 studies showed moderate exercise, lasting for as little as five minutes, was enough to reduce cravings for a cigarette, Dr. Adrian Taylor of the University of Exeter's School of Sport and Health and his colleagues reported in the April issue of the journal Addiction.

"If a drug revealed the same effects, it would immediately be marketed as a valuable aid to help people quit smoking or cut down," Taylor said in a release on Wednesday, national no-smoking day in the U.K.

In the studies, smokers did various types of moderate exercise and were asked to rate their cravings for a cigarette.

Those who exercised said they had less desire to smoke.

The effect of exercising was as strong as a nicotine patch, said Dr. Robert West, professor of health psychology at University College London, who was not involved in the study.

It's not yet known how long the exercise could help curb cravings for nicotine, West cautioned.

The exercise would likely need to be combined with other quit-smoking techniques, he said.

Exercise helps reduce symptoms

It's thought that distracting smokers helps them to quit, although exercise may have a stronger effect.

Taylor suspects that if exercise leads to the production of more dopamine, a mood enhancer, it could reduce dependence on nicotine.

The researchers are now experimenting with brain imaging in the hopes of learning how exercise affects the brain's mood centres to reduce cravings.

Exercise also helped to reduce withdrawal symptoms such as stress, anxiety and poor concentration, not to mention weight loss, Taylor said.

Other types of exercise examined in the studies included isometrics, the flexing and tensing of muscles, which can be done without heading to the gym.