Non-Smoker’s Guide to Nicotine Gum
As someone who doesn’t smoke or chew gum, this has changed my life.
Before I begin babbling about the benefits of nicotine gum, I feel the need to make a disclaimer.
An anecdote, not a recommendation
Firstly, I don’t think minors should consume something that can change their brain chemistry forever, although it’s not like today’s kids aren’t already addicted to every possible stimulus. What is more, it’s freaking expensive. I’m sure there are more reasons why not to try nicotine gum, but that information is already out.
My job today is to educate, not advocate.
Sometimes the apple does fall far from the tree
Comparing nicotine to tobacco is like comparing tomatoes to ketchup. Just like sun-dried tomatoes on a pizza only make up a tiny portion of the meal, the nicotine content in tobacco leaves is often less than 3 percent (1). Why is something so minuscule getting all the hate?
Despite the fact that cigarettes have up to 600 ingredients, and the tobacco itself has more than 7000 chemicals, only one of those compounds is getting 90 percent of the spotlight. For some reason, the tiny common denominator, nicotine, is getting bullied but not the well-known radioactive materials, heavy metals, and other ingredients used to kill rats or clean surfaces. It’s safe to say that this is victim-blaming at its finest.
Although the addiction liability of nicotine is fairly high, the physical and psychological dependence is considered low to moderate. Nonetheless, putting this addictive, whilst safe, compound together with literal poison is extremely dangerous and, frankly, unethical. Hence, don’t hate the player, hate the game (tobacco industry).
The anti-smoking campaigns did not lie, but they’ve absolutely mistaken the hero for the villain. In this day and age, with the number of conspiratorially minded constantly growing, extra precautions need to be taken when analyzing a subject this sensitive.
The benefits of nicotine are endless, but it is still our responsibility to not vindicate tobacco lobbyists in any way, shape, or form.
The effect on weight control
It’s not a coincidence that most smokers, though dying from the inside, aren’t the obese types. It’s certainly not a bulletproof strategy, but there are quite a few reasons why that is. The research is still ongoing, and the mediators are not completely settled. In spite of the anecdotal evidence being apparent, the taboo around this topic could be holding back some scientists from doing more vigorous exploration.
Very few substances that claim to reduce weight actually work, but those that do almost always have something to do with appetite control. While cigarettes are considered great at reducing hunger, it’s the nicotine that is doing all the work (2). At first, it was thought that it lowers insulin, which is largely responsible for the sugary cravings. Turns out, it uses a different pathway.
Nicotine’s effect on the activation of the fight-or-flight receptors, as well as various dopamine signals, seems to be the root cause (3). The released adrenaline appears to work as a potent appetite suppressant. It’s hard to imagine a scenario where someone is being robbed and also thinking about food at the same time. Unless he/she is attacked by Ronald McDonald, I suppose.
The pitfall, which coincidently proves the association between weight control and nicotine, is that 80–90 percent of people gain weight after quitting smoking (4). Granting many diets work the same way, the addictiveness of nicotine entirely prevents second-guessing. For a while now, the slogan of Marlboro has literally been “Don’t be a maybe”.
Moreover, guess what you’re not going to do when chewing gum. That’s right, eat. If you’re a smoker, you might even be forced to go outside. Apart from the physical requirement to move, the increased energy expenditure is also due to the stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system and a higher metabolic rate (5). The reality is that almost any other activity can have an equal calorie demand. Nevertheless, tobacco products are unique in the sense that they make it harder to sit still than to walk outside and light up one.
The fact that smoking is often associated with hanging out with friends makes it an incredibly unhealthy cycle. Fortunately, for the time being, teenagers don’t seem to use peer pressure when it comes to nicotine gum.
The positive effects on mood are also likely to contribute to weight loss. After all, 27 percent of people say that they eat to manage stress, and to most folks, smoking is “destressing” (6). There’s also a reason why during a really hard workout or while playing your favorite video game you’re not necessarily thinking about dinner. But more on that later.
The effect on cognitive performance
More conclusive data is needed, but nicotine gum appears to truly have the potential to treat various brain disorders. Even though smoking can worsen your memory as well as sleep, nicotine does the opposite (7). I wouldn’t put my money on nicotine gum being the next big nootropic, but I do think that more and more people, to whom cigarettes have been creativity enhancers, will eventually make the switch.
The biggest achievements in this area have to do with short-term memory. The focus has been primarily on Alzheimer’s patients and people with ADHD (8). Due to the lack of studies, it’s unclear whether the main mediator is nicotine’s ability to strengthen signals between neurons or the placebo. Either way, the few blinded experiments that have been done do link nicotine with the enhanced performance during multiple attention and memory tasks (9).
Correlation does not equal causation, but who says that there’s no underlying mechanism behind so many elders choosing to smoke. Of course, being angry at the world is a solid reason on its own. With that in mind, the research on nicotine and age-related diseases looks extremely promising at the moment.
While the small amount of research on nicotine’s effect on cognitive performance is mixed, the evidence of tolerance to nicotine isn’t. Not only can you get a nicotine overdose by combining smoking and chewing, but you’re also more likely to get diminished brain activation (10). Here’s another argument for nicotine gum being the drug of choice for non-smokers and people who successfully quit.
The effect on mood
The last but possibly the most relevant benefit is improved mood. Once again, there’s a reason why so many depressed individuals start smoking. It’s a defense mechanism that can make people who hate the smell still feel drawn into cigarettes when feeling down. It also clearly has an effect on reward-related brain activation, similar to eating delicious food.
One of the biggest studies investigating the effects of nicotine on depressed non-smokers, unfortunately, only consisted of 11 people (11). However, the results demonstrated a substantial decrease in depression-assessment rating scores when participants wore a nicotine patch rather than a placebo patch. The scientists were extra careful at the end and did not proclaim to have found a treatment for anything but nicotine dependence.
Individual testimonials are definitely not enough to say that nicotine could cure the obesity and despair epidemic that we’re currently in. Sadly, the taboo around tobacco products is profound, and I don’t think that’s good for the truth. So much of the work regarding nicotine has only been done in rats and at the time that you could find cigarette ads on TV. Just because we’re more health-conscious these days, does not mean that this knowledge should only be accessible in the history books.
Once more robust research comes out, I’m not expecting anything crazy but an acknowledgment of an option for the most desperate. All I can hope for is that more rebels emerge in this field and decide to selflessly analyze this subject.
Takeaway
Smoking stinks! Chewing nicotine gum, on the other hand, does have its benefits. It’s probably not the “next big smart drug”, but it’s close. Just like drinking one glass of wine per day or eating a square of chocolate, a piece of nicotine gum can work as a nootropic and a pretty great one at that. It’s a slippery slope for sure, and the risk of accidentally absolving the tobacco industry is there.
The real problem may have nothing to do with nicotine or tobacco, for that matter. When did we consent to a society in which these smart drugs, as well as this article, are necessary?
