Perhaps no common substance has been maligned as much as nicotine . Because it is an ingredient in tobacco, its effects are often confused with the effects and harms of smoking. But in fact, nicotine itself, when consumed in moderate doses, is harmless—even beneficial. New research on nicotine is finding many beneficial uses for this often misunderstood substance.
If it weren’t for the most harmful way of ingesting nicotine, which is inhaled through cigarette smoke, no one would pay attention to a mild stimulant like nicotine. But because the most common way to get nicotine into the body is through smoking, nicotine will forever be associated with the harmful effects of smoking.
Many people, before vaping, did not realize that nicotine was harmless. They all believed that nicotine was partly responsible, along with tobacco, for the millions of deaths caused by tobacco.
Nicotine has virtually nothing to do with the cancers and respiratory diseases caused by smoking, and nicotine itself does not lead to heart disease, although it does have a side effect of temporarily constricting the blood vessels. The truth is that the thousands of chemicals produced when tobacco is burned are the real culprits, not one innocent chemical with a bad reputation.
Where does nicotine come from?
Nicotine is an alkaloid found in most plants of the nightshade family such as tobacco, eggplant, tomatoes, potatoes, etc. However, only in tobacco extracts is nicotine concentrated enough to have a noticeable effect on the user. Trying to eat tomatoes and eggplants to get a reading on a nicotine test is out of the question.
Because the tobacco plant contains the most nicotine, it is the only source of nicotine for production. When we talk about nicotine in vapes , we are talking about the product extracted from Nicotiana Rustica, a relative of the common Nicotiana Tabacum. Rustica contains a lot of nicotine and is grown mainly in China and India. Its extract is used in pharmaceuticals and in the preparation of essential oils .
Nicotiana tabacum has a better taste for smoking and chewing, but contains too little nicotine to extract. Most American tobaccos used for cigarettes and pipes are a branch of the tabacum genus. There are some wild tobaccos, but these are rarely used commercially.
There is also synthetic nicotine, which many believe could help e-liquid manufacturers avoid FDA regulation under the Tobacco Control Act for products containing or derived from tobacco. This is not yet clear. We will not know what the FDA will do with synthetic nicotine until they take concrete action against manufacturers and distributors. In the FDA’s view, even nicotine-free vapes are considered tobacco products because the devices can also be used to vape nicotine.
What effect does nicotine have on users?
Nicotine is both a stimulant and a relaxant. According to the Therapeutics Initiative, “Nicotine is a powerful chemical that gives smokers a feeling of euphoria and pleasure, increases concentration, reduces hunger, reduces stress…”
But nicotine is not all created equal. The effectiveness of nicotine depends largely on the method of absorption.
Nicotine users can sense their nicotine levels. From its effects, they will know if they are using too little or too much. Signs of nicotine overdose are easy to recognize such as rapid heartbeat, headache and nausea, users just need to reduce or temporarily supply nicotine to the body until they feel comfortable.
Accidental nicotine overdose through conventional methods of ingestion is rare. No smoker or vaper continues to ingest nicotine after experiencing a headache or nausea. However, you can get nicotine poisoning if you accidentally ingest a concentrated form of nicotine. According to Professor Bernd Mayer, about 500mg of nicotine is dangerous for an adult.
Is nicotine addictive?
This question has been almost unanswerable because most studies on nicotine dependence have been done on cigarette smokers. It is only recently that scientists have studied how addictive nicotine is when removed from cigarettes.
Most of this research came after nicotine replacement therapies like nicotine patches, gum, and later vapes were introduced. It was this research that led the FDA to conclude that prescription nicotine products are not addictive. The agency states on its website, “Although nicotine products can be addictive, decades of research and use have shown that prescription nicotine replacement therapies do not pose a risk of nicotine abuse or dependence.”
“No one would smoke if there was no nicotine in a cigarette, but they wouldn’t use nicotine alone,” said Paul Newhouse, a nicotine researcher at Vanderbilt University. “Nicotine isn’t potent enough. That’s why the FDA approved prescription nicotine. No one wants to use nicotine alone because it’s not satisfying.”
However, when nicotine is absorbed at a rapid rate by smoking, the pleasure is delivered to the brain almost continuously, and the effect is irresistible to those who have become accustomed to it. And there are other ingredients in cigarette smoke, such as MAOIs, that increase the smoker’s craving for nicotine. Other nicotine products deliver nicotine with less addictive potential. So when you hear someone say “nicotine is more addictive than heroin,” you can be sure that (A) they are wrong, and (B) they are actually talking about cigarettes.
What are the side effects of nicotine?
Nicotine causes the heart to beat faster and increases systolic blood pressure, and can cause blood vessels to constrict. “These effects are mild and completely tolerable,” says Professor Mayer. And regular nicotine use appears to lower blood pressure.
As with other nicotine-related problems, the effects of nicotine on the heart are often confused with the effects of smoking. While nicotine may have some permanent effects on blood vessels, most of the damage is caused by carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke, which prevents blood from carrying oxygen to the body’s cells. It is even possible that nicotine increases the body’s ability to regenerate new blood vessels.
What is more interesting are the positive effects of nicotine. Epidemiological studies have shown that Parkinson's and Alzheimer's symptoms are less common in smokers than in non-smokers. It is now clear that nicotine is the main reason.
“There is strong evidence that nicotine stimulation of brain receptors can improve cognition and memory,” Professor Mayer writes. “Moreover, synthetic nicotine has the potential to be a treatment for cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease.”
Author: Jim McDonald - Vaping360
Translator: The Vape Club
