Daniel BuenoIt was recently suggested that physical exercise reduces the risk of smokers developing pulmonary emphysema. An international group, coordinated by Mílton de Arruda Martins, from the University of São Paulo’ School of Medicine (FMUSP), carried out a study on mice, published in February in the European Respiratory Journal, to confirm this protection and to see what the related mechanisms are. “Our study revealed that regular practice of moderate intensity aerobic exercise, during the period in which the person is smoking, protects him or her from pulmonary emphysema. The disease affects roughly 20% of this population,” states one of the authors, Alessandra Choqueta de Toledo, from the State University of São Paulo (Unesp). Doing exercise is also important for the process of non-medication based rehabilitation of lung disease. Physical activity avoids diminished production of interleukin 10, an anti-inflammatory substance, whose rate drops as a result of exposure to cigarette smoke, and also increases synthesis of glutathione peroxidase, an antioxidant enzyme. Exercising reduces the oxidative stress caused by tobacco and protects against developing the disease.
