“Nicotine is a carcinogen!”
That is one of the misconceptions about nicotine. In fact, although nicotine is not good for health, it does not cause serious harm like the tar in cigarette smoke. In this post, let's clarify some questions surrounding nicotine.
Does nicotine cause cancer?
Many people, including current and former smokers, believe that nicotine is a carcinogen.
This is not true, or at least there is no evidence to support this. We all know that smoking causes lung cancer in both active and passive smokers. And in cigarette smoke there are up to 400 substances that have been proven to cause cancer, collectively called tar. As for nicotine, according to some scientists, it is just a mild stimulant similar to caffeine in coffee.
Research on nicotine isn’t easy. People have always gotten their nicotine fix by smoking. But some people use patches or chewing tobacco to avoid exposure to other harmful chemicals in cigarette smoke. And studies of high-quality smokeless tobacco products have shown no link to cancer (at least not yet).
The reason I use the word “high quality” is because those products not only contain 100% pure nicotine, but also contain impurities or heavy metals that have not been separated. And those impurities, even in small amounts, have the potential to create the conditions for tumor growth.
The next equally troubling question is: “Does nicotine accelerate tumor growth?”
Animal studies have shown that nicotine can promote the metastasis of cancer cells, because it greatly increases the rate of new malignant cells being produced in these tumors. However, these studies are only on animals and on mice or rabbits, whose DNA codes are quite different from those of humans. There is currently not enough evidence to confirm that nicotine can accelerate the growth of tumors in humans, and until then, scientists will continue to search for a satisfactory answer.
Is nicotine poisonous?
You may have heard that nicotine is used as a pesticide because of its toxic properties. This is absolutely true, nicotine is a very strong neurotoxin but remember this saying: “The dose makes the poison”. This is a famous quote by Paracelsus and it can be considered a guideline in the scientific world. Indeed, anything if used in the right dose will be effective for humans, but if consumed in excess, it will be toxic in some way.
The median lethal dose of a substance is the dose that is enough to kill 50% of those exposed to it, called the LD50. For nicotine, the number was previously thought to be between 30mg and 60mg. However, no one knows where this number came from, and scientists have hypothesized that it was estimated from self-experimentation in the 19th century. Of course, it is not reliable at all. Some people allergic to nicotine can have seizures after absorbing just 2mg of pure nicotine, equivalent to 1-2 regular cigarettes. And for people who smoke or vape high doses of nicotine on a regular basis, the toxic dose certainly cannot stop at 30-60mg, right?
Dr. Bernd Mayer has estimated that it takes between 500mg and 1000mg of nicotine to cause acute poisoning in a 70kg adult, and this number may be higher for people who are exposed to nicotine regularly. Most of the nicotine you inhale from a cigarette or vape is destroyed during the combustion process, so the actual dose your body absorbs is very small. Enough to make you alert, but certainly much lower than 1000mg.
However, there are still a few things you should keep in mind:
Keep essential oils out of reach of children, especially toddlers, who are very curious and at much higher risk of nicotine poisoning than adults.
Only buy essential oils from reputable manufacturers who provide full information about the production batch and origin of the ingredients.
Be careful when the essential oil gets on your body, nicotine can penetrate and cause some reactions such as nausea or itching. If the juice gets on your skin, wash it off immediately.
Is nicotine addictive?
It has been claimed that nicotine is more addictive than heroin. This is a false statement. The addiction to nicotine and the addiction to cigarettes are completely different.
You are a smoker and addicted to cigarettes, if you don’t have a cigarette, your body will start shaking and getting irritable until you find a cigarette and satisfy your craving. This is only true for traditional cigarettes, surveys show that people who use nicotine patches, chewing tobacco and even vapes do not experience this phenomenon. If they don’t have access to nicotine, they will still feel the craving but it will gradually decrease. So why is there such a difference?
Perhaps we need to look back at the substances in cigarette smoke, in addition to nicotine, cigarette smoke also contains a large amount of other neuro-inhibitors such as monoamine oxidase, other tobacco alkaloids, acetaldehyde and nitric oxide, all of which increase the effect of nicotine on the brain. That also explains why smoking traditional cigarettes gives a more relaxing feeling than vaping and why combustible cigarettes have a "reputation" of being more addictive than heroin.
The act of lighting a cigarette is also addictive.
Another aspect that many people do not pay attention to is that the act of lighting a cigarette, putting it in your mouth and inhaling it is actually addictive. This action is called “The Artificial Passion” by scientists. The human muscles remember actions faster and longer than the brain can receive. Repeating the act of smoking, along with the pleasure that nicotine brings, will eventually make you addicted to the feeling of having a cigarette in your mouth and it will be very difficult to quit that habit.
In general, nicotine is addictive, but not very much. What makes people misunderstand it is the substances that come with nicotine in cigarette smoke. In addition, environmental factors also greatly affect smoking cessation. If you live in a community where no one smokes, no matter how addicted you are, you will not feel the craving for cigarettes anymore.
The article is compiled and translated from many sources on the internet. Nicotine is a controversial topic because it is related to many other issues, not just science. Hope you find this article interesting and have gained useful information. If you have any questions or information, please do not hesitate to share with us in the comment section.
Stay safe, vape on!
Gia Bao
