Nicotine v Caffeine - Which is worse?

[dubnluvn]

I just read an interesting article that you can read HERE. And a nearly identical article HERE

The bullet point being:
"According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) smoking in 2000 was the biggest cause of death - 435,000 people died. 18.1% of everyone who died in that year died of a smoking related disease. Obesity (bad diet and no exercise) was the cause of 400,000 deaths."

New links between caffeine and obesity are being found. THIS article sites a study on that subject.

This is easy to realize when you think of what products you often find caffeine. Coffee, sodas and chocolate, among others. We see kids and young adults consuming these products every day, which is likely to lead to lifetime use. Its kind of ironic that one of the major ingredients in diet supplements (supplements, really?) is caffeine!

Caffeine has become acceptable due only to the vessels in which it is consumed. Nicotine, while possibly more addictive and dose for dose, has only one common method of consumption, tobacco, with the most popular being smoking. Its hard to look at someone drinking a cup a coffee in and think, "Oh look at that addict!". Conversely it is quite easy to say that if you see someone smoking. I'm willing to bet that if nicotine was as prevalent in foods, as with caffeine, we wouldn't be where we are now. Smoking would probably have never become the phenomenon it is, simply due to the range of choices of where to get it.

The fact is they are both addictive, both are at least significant factors in the number 1 and 2 causes of death for Americans, both have similarly beneficial and detrimental side effects. There is one big difference. One of these IS intentionally marketed to, sold to, and consumed by kids and young adults on a daily basis through products in which are regulated by the FDA.

Here are a couple more links that I found interesting.

Caffeine In Colas: "The Real Thing" Isn't The Taste
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11037035
Neurologic Effects of Caffeine: eMedicine Neurology

-----------------------------------

tl;dr

We, as a vaping community, all love to post and cite articles and studies, as I have here, and interpret law and speculate on how semantics will or won't affect us. The most important thing we can do, I believe, is try to find a way to break through the preconceived notions about nicotine, smoking, addiction in a way they can relate to. This is an amazingly strong group and we are all very passionate. There has to be some way to convey that passion in a way that it can grow. Just sayin. Happy Vapin'!

[Debbie]

I remember reading somewhere that caffeine was added to a lot of orange sodas in order to addict the little kiddies. Caffeine is not natural to orange soda. If it's in there, it was added.

As opposed to colas, in which it is natural (though I wouldn't be surprised if they add a bit more caffeine during processing ).

I gave up caffeine years ago...it was definitely addictive for me.

Debbie

[Blooper]

They are both delicious i just cant decide. hehe

[jj2]

Just thought you'd like to know that tobacco isn't the only thing that has nicotine in it.

There is considerable evidence that nicotine is present in certain human foods, especially plants from the family Solanaceae (such as potatoes, tomatoes, and eggplant). Castro and Monji,2 Sheen,3 and Davis et al.4 have reported on the nicotine content of foods and drinks. We have been able to confirm . . . [Full Text of this Article]

[potholerepairman]

I remember reading somewhere that caffeine was added to a lot of orange sodas in order to addict the little kiddies. Caffeine is not natural to orange soda. If it's in there, it was added.

As opposed to colas, in which it is natural (though I wouldn't be surprised if they add a bit more caffeine during processing ).

I gave up caffeine years ago...it was definitely addictive for me.

Debbie

Very true they do add caffeine to orange but not to grape soda .I never got into caffeine so naturally avoid it, so to get a good orange or grape soda at a fast food joint you got to be in the hood.

[dubnluvn]

Acording to the American Beverage Association caffeine is used by companies primarily as a flavorant, used as a bitter to counteract all the sugar they put in soda.

Just thought you'd like to know that tobacco isn't the only thing that has nicotine in it.

There is considerable evidence that nicotine is present in certain human foods, especially plants from the family Solanaceae (such as potatoes, tomatoes, and eggplant). Castro and Monji,2 Sheen,3 and Davis et al.4 have reported on the nicotine content of foods and drinks. We have been able to confirm . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Yeah, I'm aware that nicotine is found in other foods like the ones you mentioned. However, we don't see people eating those things to get their fix of nicotine. But we do see people grab a cup of coffee, soda or a candybar to get their caffeine, whether they know it or not and whether they'd like to admit it or not.

I'm not trying to vilify caffeine, I'm just trying to point out that we should be finding a way to get people to understand the how similar they are. Nicotine isn't as bad as people generally believe and caffein isn't nearly as harmless either. So if it ok for those people (and their kids) to consume their drug of choice, they should take a less hypocritical stance with ours.

[vicflo]

Acording to the American Beverage Association caffeine is used by companies primarily as a flavorant, used as a bitter to counteract all the sugar they put in soda.



Yeah, I'm aware that nicotine is found in other foods like the ones you mentioned. However, we don't see people eating those things to get their fix of nicotine. But we do see people grab a cup of coffee, soda or a candybar to get their caffeine, whether they know it or not and whether they'd like to admit it or not.

I'm not trying to vilify caffeine, I'm just trying to point out that we should be finding a way to get people to understand the how similar they are. Nicotine isn't as bad as people generally believe and caffein isn't nearly as harmless either. So if it ok for those people (and their kids) to consume their drug of choice, they should take a less hypocritical stance with ours.

It wouldnt surprise me if some nutcase started an anti caffeine trend and everyone started pulling it from being an ingredient. All they have to do is say it caused a lab rat to have symptoms and there the panic begins.

[mwahle1]

My educated guess is that caffeine and nicotine are very similar and are not that detrimental to one’s health when taken in relatively low doses.

[JohnnyVapor]

Both chemicals are completely wonderful. It's not a habit, it's cool, I feel alive.

[Sallana]

I think Caffeine and Nicotine, health wise, are on the same level.

Cigarettes however, are much worse. Obviously.

And I want to just say, that I am as addicted to coffee as they come. And oftentimes, i'd say "I'd rather quit smoking than quit drinking coffee."

Nicotine withdrawal makes you grumpy and irritable and constantly feeling like you "need" something...

Caffeine withdrawal... makes you HURT. If I got one day without any coffee, or not enough, I am in so much pain it's unexplanatory. Not even just the migraine headaches, but my entire body aches, and I end up MORE jittery than I'd be if I just drank the coffee. I find myself pacing the house in a sort of trance, not really knowing what to do next...

So really, Caffeine is a worse addiction, imho.