MSNBC Reports on Nic and COVID

[MissMcVayp]

I was just watching MSNBC and they said (paraphrased) that a study from Belgium has noted that people who smoke seem to be much less likely to get COVID, and they believe it may be because both nicotine and COVID bind to the same cell receptors (or some thing like that - I'm not a medical person lol), so they think nicotine might block COVID from being able to attach to the cell. They're looking into the connection, but say it's waaayyyy too soon to know anything for sure yet. Meanwhile, in the interim, as I refill my vape...

Here's a link to an article (there were actually several articles on google about this): Smokers 'four times less likely' to contract Covid-19, prompting nicotine patch trials on patients

 

[Jwaterski]

I've seen a couple articles about that recently, they are almost all saying they think it is the nicotine helping to prevent the covid.. with very little evidence yet. Could be, may not be. Could be that most smokers are already outcast in normal society and as such hang out with other smokers socially, and as smokers hang out together they smoke! So most times when they inhale, it is through a tube with a fire at the end, I suspect that is more effective than the n95 mask at blocking the virus. Who knows at this point, be nice if the nic offered some protection, vaping would then probably offer the same protection, and it may anyway, when vaping you're drawing air across a hot coil on inhale.

 

[Territoo]

Actually it's thought that nicotine downregulates the ACE2 receptors that the coronavirus spike proteins attach to. Fewer receptors means fewer places that the virus can attack. However I'm reading some articles that suggest the exact opposite--that nicotine may upregulate those ACE2 receptors.

FEBS Press

Bottom line is that we don't know. I'm not going to quit vaping, but I wouldn't recommend a nonvaper to take it up, just to prevent covid19.

 

[stols001]

I do think we have um, some slightly better treatment options available to us than inciting the need to smoke, yes.

Maybe this is why smoking is UP in the elderly though? Mentioned on the provape thread, I forget how to spell it. LOL.

Anna