What does nicotine do
to us when vaped?
When someone takes nicotine into their body it
will produce both stimulating and sedative effects.
Nicotine changes the levels of chemicals such as
dopamine and noradrenaline in the brain, altering
mood and concentration, which many people find
enjoyable and some experience a pleasurable
nicotine rush.
Studies suggest that increased levels of beta
endorphin can help reduce anxiety, and feelings of
alertness. In brief
However, nicotine may also increase the heart rate,
blood pressure and heart stroke pressure. Nicotine is a highly
addictive substance.
Nicotine can also cause a range of side effects such
as, indigestion, circulatory effects, disturbed sleep,
peptic ulcers, diarrhoea and heartburn among others.
At this moment in time, nicotine is not classified as
a cancer-causing compound but may cause possible
DNA damage that ‘could’ increase the risk of cancer.
The main issue is the method of nicotine delivery.
In combustible cigarettes, where you have the burning
of tobacco to inhale nicotine, smokers are also going
to inhale upwards of 7,000 chemicals, of which at
least 69 are known to cause cancer.
Moving to less harmful alternatives such as vaping
allows users a much safer method of getting that
nicotine fix, which is where the now famous 95 percent
less harmful Public Health England statistic comes
in, as vaping has been shown to reduce exposure to
harmful, cancer causing compounds significantly.
Studies show it has some positive
effects but also comes with
side effects.
Currently, it is not classified as a
cancer-causing compound.
The method of nicotine delivery is
where the major health issues arise.
Despite some misconceptions and
stigma still surrounding e-cigarettes,
vaping is significantly better for harm
reduction than carrying on smoking.
Dr Richard Cunningham has a PhD in medicinal chemistry from Queen’s University Belfast, where he also worked as a post
doctoral researcher. Dr Cunningham has also worked as a research instructor at the University of South Alabama’s Mitchell
Cancer Institute. Among his areas of expertise are organic synthesis, nucleosides, nucleotides, cellular biology, vitamins,
aminoglycosides, drug delivery, phosphorous chemistry and chemical analysis.
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