Nicotine has been villainized for years and is generally blamed for being the main reason why people become addicted to cigarettes. On the other hand science has indicted that not only is the stimulant not all that bad, but also that it has some powerful medicinal properties. This and more was discussed at this year’s Global Forum on Nicotine (GFN23).
A panel discussion titled “The changing face of nicotine” delved into how misunderstood nicotine is. Dr Paul Newhouse, a psychiatrist and physician scientist, explained that as a stimulant, nicotine activates the brain receptors involved in mood regulation. He added that it does not affect people in the same way, hence while it may be beneficial and improve brain function in some, in others it may not have any affect.
GP and educator Dr Carolyn Beaumont, discussed nicotine from the context of it being considered addictive. She said that the term “addiction” is a strong term and carries with it a lot of negative associations. She added that clearly these are derived from the fact that nicotine is considered the addictive component in cigarettes. However, she concluded, while cigarettes are known to be deadly, one must bear in mind that nicotine on its own is harmless.
The vape is a “revolutionary product”
Director of We Vape and the Snus Users Association, Mark Oates, offered a refreshing perspective, saying that vaping is just there for people who smoke. He compared the vape to the electric car, in that it is a revolutionary product. “There are going to be people that start driving electric cars who never damaged the environment with a combustion engine vehicle. We shouldn’t say to them ‘you weren’t damaging the environment before so you should just not drive’. So, there are going to be people who never smoked who want to use nicotine. It’s much better if you use a safer version,” he explained.
Dr Garrett McGovern, a GP specializing in addiction medicine, said that in his practice not only does he not witness any damage from nicotine, but he actually sees benefits. He went on to say that he finds it exasperating when ‘experts’ discuss the alleged addictive effect of nicotine on the developing brain of young people. He explained that these arguments are based on mice study, and hence there is no real evidence of this in humans.
While paraphrasing Michael Russell who in 1976 had written, ‘People smoke for nicotine, but they die from the tar’, Dr Alex Wodak, a retired physician and former President of the Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation, added that actually “people smoke for the nicotine, die from the hostility to harm reduction.”
The medicinal uses of nicotine
Meanwhile a Keynote held later in the day: “The role of nicotinic systems in brain disorders“, discussed the known therapeutic effects and uses of nicotine. Psychiatrist and physician scientist, Professor Paul Newhouse, discussed a pilot trial started in the early 2000s, in which 74 non-smoking patients with mild cognitive impairment were given to give transdermal nicotine to patients. “We saw an improvement in attention as well as a significant and sustained improvement to memory.”
“These were very promising results and we were pleased to see this. It was safe and we had no significant adverse effects. We found it also reduced weight a few pounds and there were no significant cardiovascular effects,” reported Newhouse. He added that in older individuals the use of nicotine was also found successful when administered as an antidepressant.
Groundbreaking research that is overlooked
Dr. Konstantinos Farsalinos, a renowned cardiovascular physician and senior researcher at the University of Patras in Greece, said that indeed the research looking into the medicinal properties of nicotine is very promising. However, he added, given the stigma that surrounds nicotine most researchers do not feel comfortable delving deeper into research related to it. “There have been a lot of hurdles for scientists who have been working with nicotine for neurological problems. There is a lot of prejudice against nicotine,” he highlighted.
Following the session, Vaping Post contacted Dr. Farsalinos asking whether he expects this situation and unease surrounding nicotine research and medical application, to improve in the near future. He explained that while doctors fields outside tobacco research may be less biased about nicotine, he still does not foresee it being openly used as a medicine any time soon. “I think that scientists not involved in tobacco research might be more open-minded in the issue of nicotine use as a medication. However, I still think there is a long way before establishing nicotine as a potential therapeutic agent for these conditions,” he said.