Exercise can be an effective ally to cessation drugs in helping smokers to quit, researchers say.

Reuters reported Oct. 24 that 80 percent of smokers who combined exercise with nicotine gum or patches had quit after 90 days, compared to 52 percent of those who used nicotine-replacement therapies but did not exercise.

Moreover, even those who did not quit cut back on their smoking if they exercised, according to a study from the American College of Chest Physicians. Their respiratory health was better, too.

The study involved 68 patients at two Austrian hospitals.