Rationale: It is imperative that smoking cessation aids effectively alleviate cigarette craving and withdrawal symptoms because their intensity has shown to predict relapse. The nicotine lozenge and a single session of exercise have both been shown to provide relief from craving for smokers who have stopped smoking. These two efficacious monotherapies have distinct mechanic pathways, and applying them concurrently may provide additive-craving relief benefit.
Objective: This study aimed to examine whether an acute bout of moderate-intensity exercise provides additional craving relief to the nicotine replacement lozenge in recently quit smokers.
Results: Thirty smokers who had abstained from smoking for 15 h were randomized to either the experimental (exercise and lozenge, n = 15) or control (lozenge alone, n = 15) condition. Craving was assessed before (baseline), during (10 and 20 min), and after (10, 20, 30, and 40 min) treatment.
Result: A significant condition by time interaction effect was found for craving (F(6, 23) = 2.70, p = 0.039, Wilks' Λ = 0.59, η ρ (2) = 0.41). While both conditions demonstrated reductions in craving, the reduction was significantly greater for the experimental group.
Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that an acute bout of exercise provides additional craving relief to the nicotine lozenge in recently quit smokers. We recommend smokers who attempt to quit employ both cessation aids simultaneously to maximize reductions in cravings.