Smoking Impairs Muscle Recovery from Exercise [08/26-2]
Excerpts from: For those who smoke young...
Eurek
Alert! [08/25/03]
The dangers of cigarette smoking are well known, and each day America's young
people are exposed to a number of public and privately sponsored anti-tobacco
campaigns. Despite the best efforts of health educators, children and adolescents
become regular tobacco users each day.
Many take up the habit believing that if they stop at a relatively young age
there will be no long-term adverse consequence to their health. Unfortunately,
these same young people are unaware that cigarette use has been linked to insulin
resistance and insulin-dependent glucose metabolism. Insulin resistance is known
to be a major risk factor in the development of adult-onset diabetes, a disease
reaching epidemic proportions. Scientists also suggest there may be a dose-response
relationship between smoking and the risk of diabetes.
Impaired insulin-stimulated muscle glycogen synthesis is an early defect in
the cause of diabetes and is present in individuals at high risk of diabetes
before the development of impaired glucose tolerance
Why? Significant differences in glycogen replenishment can be attributed to
hormone insulin. Insulin is released by the pancreas in response to carbohydrate
consumption. The hormone's many functions include the transportation of glucose
into liver and muscle tissues and to stimulate the synthesis of carbohydrate
into muscle glycogen, which is how the muscle stores energy. Because insulin
is essential in replenishing muscle glycogen after exercise, researchers have
focused on enhancing insulin release during recovery. It is well known that
increasing the amount of carbohydrate consumed will increase insulin levels
and result in more muscle glycogen storage.
Postexercise muscle metabolism plays a major role in systemic carbohydrate
balance and may be influenced by smoking. Although the association of cigarette
smoking with insulin resistance and impaired glucose tolerance has been established
through previous research, the question of whether this smoking affects the
final step in the physiological process -- impaired muscle glycogen storage
– has yet to be addressed
This information is presented as a public service by:
Action on Smoking and Health (ASH)
2013 H Street NW / Washington, DC 20006 / (202) 659-4310
A national nonprofit, scientific and educational organization founded in 1967.
All donations are fully tax deductible.
Material on this page may be freely reproduced, distributed, and circulated
with attribution given to Action on Smoking and Health.
Dedicated to Mr. and Mrs. Warren Wells