Vaping activists have always known that tobacco and nicotine are two separate substances. Cigarette smoke contains thousands of toxic and carcinogenic chemicals, while e-cigarette smoke is completely tobacco-free and up to 95% safer . In fact, the only thing tobacco and e-cigarettes have in common is nicotine.
But there are plenty of foods that also contain nicotine. Tomatoes, eggplants, and potatoes are three prime examples. If nicotine were as dangerous as the FDA and CDC say, wouldn’t public health officials ban restaurants from serving dishes like spaghetti with tomato sauce and eggplant with parmesan?
The simple fact is that the scientific community is still finding new data on the often-discussed substance called nicotine. MTV's Dr. Drew Pinsky was once famous for saying,
“Nicotine itself is not the problem. It is tobacco that is causing the real harm.”
It seems a team of researchers from Texas A&M agrees. According to a recent study, nicotine is a fountain of youth for the brain, which can help slow down and even reverse the aging process.
Overview of Texas A&M Research
A research team led by Professor Ursula Winzer Serhan from Texas A&M University College of Pharmacy conducted a study focusing on nicotine’s potential as a neuroprotective agent. According to the results, published in the Open Access Journal of Toxicology, the pharmaceutical community has long recognized that nicotine can be a natural appetite suppressant. If nicotine can trick the brain in some way, it may provide other mental health benefits.
The research team began their study by adding a small amount of nicotine extract to the drinking water of the test subjects (animals).
The subjects were divided into three groups, receiving low, moderate, and high doses of nicotine, respectively.
Three nicotine concentrations are designed to mimic three types of smokers (or vapers).
A control group drank water that contained no nicotine at all.
The low- and moderate-dose nicotine group showed no significant changes in appetite, weight loss, or brain activity.
However, the group that received high concentrations of nicotine ate less , gained less weight, and had increased brain activity.
The team also monitored for possible side effects such as agitation or anxiety symptoms. However, there did not appear to be any cases of these.
“Some people say nicotine reduces anxiety, which is why people smoke. Others say it makes them nervous. You don’t want to have another drug that changes you in a negative way. Fortunately, we didn’t see any anxiety symptoms. It seemed like nicotine made the subjects feel calmer,” said Professor Ursula Winzer-Serhan.
The Texas team has been widely criticized since its findings were released. Some health experts have warned that the scientists were inadvertently promoting smoking. But Winzer Serhan has insisted that they were not.
“Although these are not considered preliminary results, smoking causes so many health problems that any benefits of nicotine would be overridden. However, smoking is the only legal way to deliver nicotine and our study suggests that we should not dismiss nicotine.”
The researchers also acknowledge that more research is needed and plan to continue “testing the anti-aging potential of nicotine in animals.” But the potential is very promising. Perhaps one day, scientists will be able to prove that injecting nicotine into the body can stop or reverse the aging process of the brain.
Source: Matt Rowland - Vapes.com
Translator: The Vape Club
