The Effect of Nicotine on Energy Expenditure during Light Physical Activity

Abstract

The metabolic effects of nicotine have been implicated in the relation between smoking and lower body weight. This study examined whether the nicotine-induced increase in the metabolic rate observed at rest is also present during physical activity. We compared the energy expenditure of 10 male smokers receiving nicotine (15 μg per kilogram of body weight) with that of 10 male smokers receiving placebo on two occasions, each including a period of rest and a period of exercise on a modified bicycle ergometer at workloads designed to simulate and standardize light daily activity. All had abstained from cigarette smoking the night before the study.