The Benefits of Nicotine

In 2015, 1.69 million new cases of lung cancer were diagnosed worldwide, making lung cancer the most common form of cancer in the world. As a result, many people tend to associate the addictive effects of nicotine with the negative effects associated with smoking. However, decades of research have actually provided evidence against this idea. Yes, nicotine is responsible for the addictive nature of cigarettes (and other tobacco products) and therefore keeps people hooked even after they’ve been made aware of the negative effects of tobacco use and even after loved ones have been diagnosed with other forms of cancer. But one should always remember that correlation does not equal causation. That is to say, nicotine alone not only has few negative side effects associated with its use but has actually demonstrated to be quite beneficial for a number of different ailments. More specifically, nicotine has been shown to improve attentiveness in smokers (Wesnes and Warburton 1983), Alzheimer’s patients (Sahakian and Jones 1991), and schizophrenics (Levin et al. 1996). Even more interesting are studies that have demonstrated that the administration of a 7.5 mg transdermal patch for a 4.5 hr session can improve attentiveness in adult non-smokers as well (Levin et al., 1998). The former study is of the most interest to me given the potential cognitive benefits that millions of people could obtain worldwide from the use of non-tobacco based nicotine.

Obviously other side effects may occur as well due to the use of non-tobacco based nicotine; one must always consider the potential for maleficence. The most pertinent potential side effect being the possibility that the use of non-tobacco based nicotine could eventually lead to the use of tobacco products, which are closely linked with various forms of cancer. Additionally, it is likely that individuals would experience an increase in nicotine tolerance over an extended duration of use. I am therefore interested to see if the reliance on greater doses of nicotine may be correlated with an increased likelihood to begin using tobacco products, as these products are often a less expensive way to obtain nicotine, based on one’s specific location and the taxes that may or may not be relevant to that specific area. Regardless, it is good to see a variety of treatments being developed for various cognitive disorders.

Levin, E. D., Conners, C. K., Silva, D., Hinton, S. C., Meck, W. H., March, J., & Rose, J. E. (1998). Transdermal nicotine effects on attention. Psychopharmacology, 140(2), 135-141.

Levin E., Wilson W., Rose J., McEvoy J. (1996). Nicotine-haloperidol interactions and cognitive performance in schizophrenics. Neuropsychopharmacology, 15, 429-436.

Sahakian, B.J., Jones, G.M.M. (1991). The effects of nicotine on attention, information processing, and working memory in patients with dementia of the Alzheimer type. In: Adlkofer F, Thruau K (eds) Effects of nicotine on biological systems. Birkhäuser Basel, 623-230.

Wesnes, K., & Warburton, D. M. (1983). Smoking, nicotine and human performance. Pharmacology & therapeutics, 21(2), 189-208.

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