American Institute of Physics falsely claims nicotine causes heart and blood vessel disease

[Bill Godshall]

American Institute of Physics falsely claims nicotine causes heart and blood vessel disease in attempt to generate a news story
Invade and conquer: Nicotine's role in promoting heart and blood vessel disease

www. eurekalert. org/pub_releases/2012-02/aiop-iac022312.php


I left a message on the contact person's phone machine telling her that the title of her press release is false, that it misrepresented the findings of the researcher, and that the title of the press release should be corrected immediately.

I suspect that GSK won't be pleased to read the press release either.

 

[oldsoldier]

Please break links to junk science so that they don't benefit from our "google juice"

 

[kristin]

Bill, can you explain further why the press release misrepresents the actual findings?

 

[CES]

From the press release, it looks like the experiments looked at the effects of nicotine on specific cellular processes of cell cultures in a dish (in vitro), then inferring that this is what happens in heart disease (in vivo).

The experiments themselves may be fine- but the inferences may or may not actually related to what happens in people. Heck, even the press release says "if confirmed in further studies..." and the lead researcher only says that "replacing cigarette smoking by nicotine treatment may have limited beneficial effects on atherosclerosis." No one is actually claiming that nicotine treats atherosclerosis- but even a limited benefit is a very far cry from harmful. In fact, doesn't limited benefit preclude harm?

Also this is the abstract of a poster to be presented at the biophysical society meeting, which means that it's very likely to be preliminary data, and not quite ready for full publication