The Impact of Smoking on Maximum Oxygen Uptake.

BACKGROUND This systematic literature review summarizes the impact of smoking on maximal oxygen uptake (maximum VO2 ). METHODS Full-text articles were retrieved if the abstract met the assigned criteria. A total of 9 articles were included in the final review based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. These included articles assessed the effects of tobacco smoking on maximum VO2 values. RESULTS Half of the articles reported a significant difference in maximum VO2 scores between smokers and nonsmokers, with smokers having a lower maximum VO2 . The other half of the articles did not identify significant differences between smokers and nonsmokers. One study found a significant difference in maximum VO2 in only one age group (ie, 20-29 y), but not any of the other age groups. CONCLUSIONS More research is needed on the effects of smoking on maximum VO2 to better understand any relationships or causations.