Table of Contents
IS NICOTINE GOOD FOR YOU?
We all know that Tobacco is terrible for you, but did you know that nicotine can actually be good for you?
For a lot of people nicotine and tobacco are the same thing, after all for a long time they basically were. Nicotine was demonised as the addictive chemical that got people hooked to smoking.
But with the introduction of items like nicotine patches and e-cigarettes people can use nicotine without the down sides. After all it is tobacco, not nicotine which has the 4000 chemicals and CO2 which causes so many problems.
Yet many people, including scientists, see nicotine as just as bad as tobacco.
Nicotine in fact can be a lot of help, especially with mental disorders. It's been shown to help those with illnesses such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson's, schizophrenia, ADHD, depression and more.
And that not all, even for healthy people it can help improve fine motor skills, attention and even creativity.
CAN NICOTINE HELP WITH ILLNESSES?
Nicotine on its own is a remarkable chemical. It is very similar to another chemical called acetylcholine which is created in the brain and is a neurotransmitter.
For those who don't know, a neurotransmitter is a chemical which helps connect all the different parts of the brain together. They are vital for memory and higher thought.
As nicotine is so much like acetylcholine when it gets to the brain it blends in perfectly. It does this by binding to nerve receptors in the brain and makes nerve cells fire more frequently.
This can help with a whole host of mental health issues such as:
- Alzheimer's (1)
- Parkinson's disease
- Schizophrenia
- Anxiety
- Depression
- ADHD
- Tourette Syndrome
All of these illnesses affect the brain; they all stop the synapses connecting to one another properly. With nicotine can help fill the gaps in the brain caused by these illnesses.
In the case of Alzheimer's it has been proven to help slow, and in some cases partially reverse the effects. (2)
It is also no coincidence then that depressed people are twice as likely as non-depressed people to be smokers (3). Not only does preliminary evidence show that it can relieve some of the symptoms but it also gives the smoker a buzz.
A follow up study showed that nicotine might even help elderly people, who are losing their mental abilities due to old age as well.
WHAT ARE THE EVERYDAY EFFECTS OF NICOTINE?
But it isn't just mental illnesses that nicotine can help.
According to psycho pharmacologist Paul Newhouse, director of the Centre for Cognitive Medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, “Nicotinic receptors in the brain appear to work by regulating other receptor systems. If you’re sleepy, nicotine tends to make you more alert. If you’re anxious, it tends to calm you.”
Another positive of nicotine is nicotine's affect on your blood. A study performed at Stanford in 2000 revealed surprising results about nicotine's effect on blood vessels. The study showed that nicotine actually boosts the growth of new blood vessels. (4)
And that's not all; studies show nicotine can help out all over the body:
- Obesity - As an appetite suppressant nicotine can help get the hunger under control (5)
- The Gut - Nicotine lowers susceptibility to Crohn’s disease, Ulcerative colitis (6), and other inflammatory bowel diseases (7).
- Wakefulness, Motivation, Alertness and Creativity - As above the brain is affected by nicotine and can help your brain work better! (8)
Nicotine can be great for the body, but it is important to remember that it is still addictive. Though some of the chemicals in tobacco such as tar and sugar do help make it more addictive, it isn't something to take up if you don't have to.
IS NICOTINE GOOD FOR YOU - CONCLUSION
Nicotine is synonymous with smoking, which is why the benefits of nicotine itself are often overlooked. While ingesting nicotine in any form may bring some of the benefits listed above, there is a long list of known negative effects from smoking.
These beneficial effects are often what makes it hard for a smoker to quit, but if you are a smoker and want to keep the advantages of nicotine without the huge drawbacks of cigarettes, consider using E-Cigarettes!
Not only are E-Cigarettes 95% less harmful than tobacco cigarettes according to Public Health England, the largest study to-date, conducted by Cochrane, found high-certainty evidence that E-Cigarettes are more effective for quitting than traditional forms of nicotine replacement therapy - like the nicotine patch or nicotine gum!!
Make the switch with SMOKO today with our FREE* starter kit when you buy a box of SMOKO refills! *(One per customer)
REFERENCES
(1) Nicotine 'reduces Alzheimer's symptoms'
(2) Will a Nicotine Patch Make You Smarter? [Excerpt]
(3) How can nicotine be good for me?
(4) Nicotine promotes arteriogenesis
(5) Is Nicotine Bad For You? Facts, Effects & Addiction
(6) Nicotine treatment for ulcerative colitis
(8) Nicotine as a cognitive enhancer
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Written by Jonny Shaw
Jonny Shaw – Is a former smoker of 7 years before becoming a client of SMOKO E-Cigarettes. He started working with SMOKO 10 years ago after successfully quitting with our cigalike and now heads up our Customer Service. Jonny helps countless people every day to find the right solutions to quit smoking cigarettes using our range of vape and electronic cigarette products.
