Smoking has been said to provide an adrenaline boost in athletes but doctors say those who light up get the shorter end of the stick

Johan Cruyff, Zinedine Zidane, Bobby Charlton, Michael Jordan and Shane Warne are all giants of their sport.

They also have, or had, something else in common – a smoking habit.

During the 2006 Fifa World Cup, Zidane was infamously caught smoking on camera ahead of France’s semi-final match against Portugal.

Recent allegations of a smoking culture in Singapore’s national football team have again raised the age-old issue of professional athletes who smoke.

Many athletes have said the occasional cigarette has beneficial side effects for their game.

A former national youth squash team player, who declined to be named, says the “adrenaline boost” actually helped him to perform better when he was still a new smoker.

“It is definitely possible to smoke and still perform well, but not if you’re a chain smoker,” adds the player.

There may be some truth to the claim that smoking provides an adrenaline boost. Nicotine is known to raise the level of dopamine, a neurotransmitter, in parts of the brain that produce feelings of pleasure and reward.

Dr Rupert See, a senior physician at Raffles Medical Group, says: “The person who smokes may get the feeling of pleasure, which results in a feeling of well-being and calmness, and may indirectly affect
sporting performance, albeit only temporarily.”

But doctors whom LifeStyle spoke to also say peak sporting performance and stamina would certainly be affected by a smoking habit, especially in the long term, as it impairs the function of the lungs.

Dr See explains that smokers tend to suffer from shortness of breath more often than non-smokers, as their muscles and heart demand more oxygen than their lungs are able to supply. Muscles that get inadequate oxygen become fatigued more quickly.

Dr Ben Tan, head of Changi Sports Medicine Centre, warns that endurance and staying power are also affected.

Citing the example of two bowlers – one a smoker, the other a nonsmoker – who are bowling multiple frames, he says the non-smoker would “have a better general sense of well-being and maintain a sharper focus longer”.
 
So how were top athletes such as football legend Cruyff able to perform at the highest level despite smoking up to 20 sticks a day?

“When these sportsmen were young, they were able to ‘compensate’ for their decreased lung function by being very fit with their regimented physical training,” Dr See says.

Later in life, even super-fit athletes are not immune to the well-documented ills of smoking: Cruyff suffered a heart attack in his early 40s, requiring a double bypass. The Dutchman has since become an anti-smoking champion.

Professional athletes or not, those who combine smoking with a highly active lifestyle also run the risk of further health problems.

Smokers tend to have constricted blood vessels, which reduce blood flow and therefore the oxygen supply to muscles.

Dr See notes that smokers with active lifestyles would therefore have “significantly reduced muscle endurance” and hearts which “tire more quickly”, as they have to work harder to pump blood through clogged blood vessels.

The doctors also agree that athletes who kick the habit will achieve better performance in the long run.

Dr Tan says: “If you ask why athletes can smoke and still perform well, I would say that if they didn’t smoke, they would perform even better.”