First thing in the morning

[granola]

Nicotine is a vasco constrictor. Using it while exercising will limit your performance.

Great point about the vasoconstriction. I wonder how this plays into the study I linked to above, that points to an improvement when using a low-dose patch. Perhaps some of the positive effects can outweigh the vasoconstriction at a low enough dose? I would guess however that nic from snus hits your system quickly enough, and in a large enough dose, that performance is impaired.

Still, I think the only way you will get a satisfactory answer is to give it a whirl.

Agreed. For me, having a portion in seems to make intense efforts feel harder than they should be (even walking up stairs). Easier efforts (hiking on a flat trail for example) don't seem to be affected, maybe just because I'm not exerting myself very much.


I think overall it makes sense that if you have enough nicotine in your system to elevate your HR and induce significant vasoconstriction, your body is already working ahrder than it would otherwise -- thereby making intense physical effort more difficult and limiting your overall capacity.

[Monkey]

I exercise first thing in the morning, usually around 5:30 am. I abstain from nicotine till after my workout. I am laid up though for a while now due to a partially torn Achillies tendon. Stinks. Even when I get out of the air cast it will only be cycling and swimming for me, no running for a while. I wanted to do my first triathlon in the spring, but this may push me back, we will see.

Ken

Sorry to hear about that.....Hope you heal up quick.

[devilock76]

Sorry to hear about that.....Hope you heal up quick.

THX. Even if I get this aircast soon running is going to be a long slow process to get back to it. The day it happened I saw the writing on the wall and got a good deal on a dual action fan bike on CL to use in the house. I need to get a better road bike next.

Ken

[granola]

Came across another interesting study today (love them Swedes!):

Long-term use of smokeless tobacco and physical performance in middle-aged men.

Bolinder G, Norén A, Wahren J, De Faire U.
Department of Medicine, Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.

Abstract
To determine the influence of prolonged nicotine exposure on maximal physical working capacity, a study of clinical measures of physical fitness and cardiovascular response to exercise was performed in 144 healthy men, 35-60 years old, subdivided into smokeless tobacco users, smokers and non-users of tobacco. Regular users of smokeless tobacco, with exposures of more than 20 years, showed similar maximal oxygen uptake (mean 3.48 L min-1, SD 0.49, n = 48) to non-users (mean 3.51 L min-1, SD 0.51, n = 65). In smokeless tobacco users, higher blood pressure and heart rate values were observed at rest and at submaximal work, after exposure to tobacco shortly before the exercise test, but not at maximal work. However, significantly lower maximal oxygen uptake was found for smokers (mean 2.88 L min-1, SD 0.49, n = 31) compared with non-users (P < 0.001). Plasma concentration of continine, the main metabolite of nicotine, was significantly higher in smokeless tobacco users (mean 347 ng mL-1, SD 175, n = 48) than in smokers (mean 253 ng mL-1, SD 153, n = 31, P < 0.001). The findings indicate that long-term use of smokeless tobacco does not significantly influence exercise capacity in healthy, physically well-trained subjects.

[granola]

Another relevant study, although I'm unsure of the practical implications of their findings (i.e. how this affects actual performance).

The effects of oral smokeless tobacco on the cardiorespiratory response to exercise.

Van Duser BL, Raven PB.
Department of Physiology, Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, Fort Worth 76107.
Med Sci Sports Exerc 1992 Apr;24(4):501.

Abstract
The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effects of oral smokeless tobacco (OST) usage on oxygen uptake (VO2), cardiac output (Qc), stroke volume (SV), heart rate (HR), and plasma lactate concentration (Lc) during rest and exercise. Fifteen asymptomatic subjects were recruited from 18 to 33-yr-old male users of OST. Comparisons of the responses of VO2, Qc, SV, HR, and Lc were made between 2.5-g OST and placebo experimental conditions during rest and at 60% and 85% maximal VO2 treadmill exercise. Plasma nicotine concentrations (Nc) were determined by radioimmunoassay. There were significant increases in HR and Lc and a decrease in SV during rest and at 60% and 85% maximal exercise (P less than 0.05). Furthermore, there were no significant differences in maximal HR, Lc, and VO2 (P greater than 0.05). In conclusion, these data indicate that the increased Nc incurred by OST usage increases anaerobic energy production and produces an increased tachycardiac response to a given relative submaximal workload.

[granola]

One more...this one supports the suggestions above to refrain from any portions or pris for a bit before exercise.

Smokeless tobacco, reaction time, and strength in athletes

ESCHER, SCOTT A.; TUCKER, ANDREW M.; LUNDIN, THOMAS M.; GRABINER, MARK D.
Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise . 30(10):1548-1551, October 1998.

Abstract

Purpose: This study investigated the effects of smokeless tobacco on reaction time and strength in a group of Division III athletes.

Methods: Athletes were tested for simple and choice reaction time, maximum voluntary force, and maximum rate of force generation of the knee extensors on a KinCom dynamometer at 250°·s-1. Smokeless tobacco-using athletes (N = 20) were tested while both using and after abstaining from smokeless tobacco. Another group of athletes (N = 20) who did not use smokeless tobacco served as a control group.

Results: Simple and complex reaction times were not affected by smokeless tobacco use or abstention. In the simple reaction time test, maximum voluntary knee extensor force was higher in the smokeless tobacco-using group while abstaining (P < 0.05). Maximum rate of force generation in the simple reaction time test was not statistically different between the conditions. In the choice reaction test, both strength parameters (maximum force and maximum rate of force generation) were higher in the user group while abstaining (P < 0.05) compared with the using condition. The strength parameter measurements in the control group were not statistically different from the tobacco-using group, while either using or abstaining.

Conclusions: We conclude that smokeless tobacco use has no effect on reaction time but may detrimentally influence maximum voluntary force and maximum rate of force generation.

[enojy]

I don't consider myself an athlete by any stretch of the imagination, but I am an avid cyclist. If weather is favorable, I ride around 150 miles a week, almost always with a portion in for the first half of the ride (they get soggy/nasty quickly while I'm on the bike.) I can't say I've noticed any particular side effects, but I do have quite a tolerance for nicotine -- I've been using snus for years, and just recently downgraded from 14mg portions to 8mg.

Interesting articles though! I'll give it a shot tomorrow -- have my morning coffee & snus, then hold off til after my ride. I'm quite the chain snuser, so I'm a little afraid of how this will turn out.

[granola]

Let us know how it turns out!