THE EFFECT OF AEROBIC EXERCISE PROGRAM ON CHOLESTEROL, BLOOD LIPIDS AND CIGA- RETTE WITHDRAWAL BEHAVIOR OF SMOKERS

MORTEZA TAHERI¹, KHADIJEH IRANDOUST², FAHIMEH NOORIAN³, FATEMEH BAGHERPOUR⁴

¹Assistant Professor of Imam Khomeini International University- ²Associate Professor of Imam Khomeini International University- ³ MS in Sport Sciences, Shahidd Chamran University of Ahvaz - ⁴MS Student of Imam Khomeini International University

Purpose: Smoking is an important risk factor of many diseases and is serious threaten for human health. Therefore, the purpo- se of this research was to investigate the effects of 8- week aerobic exercise program on Cholesterol, Blood Lipids and cigarette with- drawal behavior of Smokers.

Methods: A quasi experimental with pre and post test design were conducted in this study. 24 male smokers with mean age of 22.3±3.2 participated in this study. Blood-lipids, cholesterol profile and withdrawal behaviour of subjects was tested before and after intervention.

Results: The results suggested that exercise intervention not only improved the cigarette withdrawal behaviour in depressed smokers, but also decreased LDL, TG and cholesterol (p≤0.05) while HDL was not influenced by exercise intervention (p≥0.05).

Conclusion: Conclusively, it was revealed that smokers can benefit from aerobic exercise. The exercise may increase the oxygen supply to the brain, and cause a better mood and mitigate the negative consequences of smoking and probably it can be the main reason for improving withdrawal symptoms of smoking. The positive effects of exercise on cholesterol and other lipids may be justified, by regulating the metabolism of all lipids in the blood. It must be noted that further research needed to understand the mechanisms involved in improved lipid profiles and withdrawal symptoms, such as stress reduction or neurobiological mechanisms.