Exercise May Help Pregnant Women Stop Smoking

Physical exertion may help pregnant women stop smoking, researchers said on Tuesday, after two small studies showed a quarter of women who exercised regularly while expecting a baby quit smoking.

The British scientists said the quitting rate was about the same as for people who use nicotine replacement.

“Our findings suggest that a good physical activity intervention is feasible and acceptable as an aid to smoking cessation during pregnancy,” Michael Ussher and colleagues from St. George’s University of London, wrote in the journal BMC Health.

Nicotine — one of the most addictive substances known — can lead to lower birth weight, higher infant mortality and is linked to learning difficulties and health problems in childhood.

An estimated 17 percent of British women and 20 percent of women in the United States say they smoke during pregnancy, the researchers said.

Nicotine patches are one way to help smokers give up, but there are worries they may harm the fetus, leaving exercise as a healthy alternative for pregnant women, the researchers said [pregnancy exercises].

The two pilot studies included women over 18 who smoked at least one cigarette a day and were 12 to 20 weeks into their pregnancy.

Read more at Yahoo News

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