Nicotine has its benefits

[TropicalBob]

Nicotine may prevent bioterrorism damage

May 6, 2009

BRIGHTON, England, May 6 (UPI) -- British scientists say they've determined nicotine can delay the effects of ricin used during a bioterrorism attack.

Jon Mabley and his colleagues at the University of Brighton found nicotine works to block the tissue-destroying effects of ricin -- a highly toxic compound derived from castor beans. The study was conducted in laboratory models, but the scientists said nicotine agonists could potentially be used in patients exposed to ricin as a stopgap measure before other treatments take effect.

The British investigators studied the effect of nicotine on animals exposed to ricin and found it reduced death and organ failure.

"The protective effect of nicotine appears to be associated with its anti-inflammatory effect, suggesting a possible therapeutic strategy of activating the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway following ricin exposure to protect against multiple organ failure," the scientists said. "The overall effect of nicotine on maintaining liver and kidney function, while reducing systemic inflammation, may account for the reduced mortality observed with ricin exposure."

Activation of the anti-inflammatory cholinergic pathway is now undergoing testing to reduce inflammation in a wide range of diseases.

The study appears in the journal Molecular Medicine.

 

[dEFinitionofEPIC]

Interesting. I wonder (since the world seems to change in cycles) if one day nicotine (obtained from safer sources than smoking of course) will be considered beneficial to one's health and its use will actually be encouraged. Granted, this is FAR in the future as society has cycled into an anti-nicotine crusade at the current time.

I've read from several sources how nicotine can decrease the chance of one getting Alzheimer's disease (something I'm highly afraid of ever having to deal with) among other things. Nicotine obtained from relatively safe sources may actually end up being good for the body in low doses and in certain situations. With all the steroids in our meats and all the artificial garbage in most of our food can nicotine really be all that bad in comparison?

It would be interesting if one day it was "determined" that the pros of nicotine actually outweighed the cons. Whatever the case... this article just gives me another reason (though hopefully I'll never be exposed to ricin ) to love Vitamin N.

 

[gashin]

Who knows, maybe smokers and vapers will actually evolve through naturalsection and become dominant if a widespread bio attack happened... or if the birth rate drops and lifespans continue to expand we'll have the advantage of having less severe onset Alzheimer's and Parkinsons which everyone will eventually experience with age.

 

[RedBullHighBride]

I think I have more chance of being crushed by a cola machine whilst holding a winning lottery ticket than of being caught up in a bio-terrorism attack, but I'll keep on enjoying nicotine just in case

 

[Drewsworld]

Red thats funny....Whats even funnier is a freind of mine was actually crushed by a cola machine and was trapped under it for several hours!..broke both legs and partially collapsed one of his lungs, he almost died!!!

 

[RedBullHighBride]

Red thats funny....Whats even funnier is a freind of mine was actually crushed by a cola machine and was trapped under it for several hours!..broke both legs and partially collapsed one of his lungs, he almost died!!!

It's more common than being eaten by a shark, apparently. My housemate's surfing buddy was eaten by a shark in March FOXNews.com - French Surfer Killed in Gruesome Pacific Shark Attack - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News Fox news, sorry.

I hope your friend is feeling better.

Both are more likely than ricin poisoning I reckon, not to diminish Tropical Bob's input, thanks Bob.

 

[LuckySevens4U]

Does this mean I can vape myself silly now, TB? lol

 

[Drewsworld]

This actually happened along time ago , when he used to drink too much ....He is fully recovered and fine....Complete with steel reinforcement

 

[RedBullHighBride]

This actually happened along time ago , when he used to drink too much ....He is fully recovered and fine....Complete with steel reinforcement

Ah, upgrades!

 

[TropicalBob]

vape yourself silly, Lucky. You have full permission, knowing the protection being provided against bioterrorism, various aging diseases and perhaps Swine Flu. More reasons to love the e-cig.

 

[DisMan]

Don't forget the fact that nicotine prevents millions of deaths every single day.

Could you imagine how many ......, ......s, jerk wads, and jack asses would be killed if smokers didn't get their daily nicotine?

 

[Kate51]

Interesting. I wonder (since the world seems to change in cycles) if one day nicotine (obtained from safer sources than smoking of course) will be considered beneficial to one's health and its use will actually be encouraged. Granted, this is FAR in the future as society has cycled into an anti-nicotine crusade at the current time.

I've read from several sources how nicotine can decrease the chance of one getting Alzheimer's disease (something I'm highly afraid of ever having to deal with) among other things. Nicotine obtained from relatively safe sources may actually end up being good for the body in low doses and in certain situations. With all the steroids in our meats and all the artificial garbage in most of our food can nicotine really be all that bad in comparison?

It would be interesting if one day it was "determined" that the pros of nicotine actually outweighed the cons. Whatever the case... this article just gives me another reason (though hopefully I'll never be exposed to ricin ) to love Vitamin N.

It's a known fact nicotine raises your blood pressure. I took mine last night, it was 119/70. I'm 62 years old. A little past prime weight, not much though.
Hell, if it wasn't for Vitamin N and don't forget the "C" (coffee) my heart would have just stopped beating a long time ago, I'm thinking.

 

[Kate51]

Disman has a really good point. I can picture the Headlines, "Nicotine-deprived Glock-toting Gramma goes on a rage in a government-run No Smoke Shop, killing hundreds, because they kept asking "what's wrong?"

 

[TBDesigns]

wow very interesting.

 

[WerkIt]

It's a known fact nicotine raises your blood pressure.

I smoked for 28.5 years. Those few times I went to the doctor (I am NEVER sick), my blood pressure always checked normal. Actually, my absolute fave buzz in the world is the combination of nic buzz, caffeine buzz and exercise buzz. I don't ever do my two miles speedwalk/jogs WITHOUT nicotine and caffeine (5 cups coffee at a minimum, often topped off with a diet Coke or two) and usually pop a fresh snus mini-portion right before I head off to the trails. It drops me off in nirvana every time, although I don't know whether it effects blood pressure for the good or not.

 

[gashin]

They have done clinical studies involving hundreds of people - you may be one of the few exceptions.

I smoked for 28.5 years. Those few times I went to the doctor (I am NEVER sick), my blood pressure always checked normal. Actually, my absolute fave buzz in the world is the combination of nic buzz, caffeine buzz and exercise buzz. I don't ever do my two miles speedwalk/jogs WITHOUT nicotine and caffeine (5 cups coffee at a minimum, often topped off with a diet Coke or two) and usually pop a fresh snus mini-portion right before I head off to the trails. It drops me off in nirvana every time, although I don't know whether it effects blood pressure for the good or not.

 

[Survivors]

Add me to the "exception" list. Very low blood pressure, never really sick, rock and roll with the gusto of 4-5 guys (though I am a small gal) and been smoking (heavily) and doing coffee for over 40 years. Nonetheless, I am so grateful to be free of the smell and cost and stigma of analogs! I won't ever go back to them.

 

[gashin]

Wow you guys must have really good genes. High blood pressure runs in my family so I have to exercise/eat well to stay healthy - none of which I'm doing that well these days...

Add me to the "exception" list. Very low blood pressure, never really sick, rock and roll with the gusto of 4-5 guys (though I am a small gal) and been smoking (heavily) and doing coffee for over 40 years. Nonetheless, I am so grateful to be free of the smell and cost and stigma of analogs! I won't ever go back to them.

 

[WerkIt]

To get back on topic, was it nicotine, or smoking itself, that was shown to protect from the effects of radiation, in much the same way nicotine protects from the effects of ricin?

 

[Vocalek]

It's a known fact nicotine raises your blood pressure. I took mine last night, it was 119/70. I'm 62 years old. A little past prime weight, not much though.
Hell, if it wasn't for Vitamin N and don't forget the "C" (coffee) my heart would have just stopped beating a long time ago, I'm thinking.

It's a misleading fact. Actually, smoking nicotine temporarily raises blood pressure. So does exercise. The reason I say it is misleading is that the American Lung Association has long used the statement "20 minutes after smoking your last cigarette, your blood pressure returns to normal" (which is true) to fool people into believing that smoking cessation will have the effect of lowering their blood pressure over the long haul.

But regular use of nicotine has a protective effect against hypertension (high blood pressure that requires medical treatment.) How do we know this? By comparing how much bp has gone up or down over a long period of time in a set of people who have quit smoking to a set of people who continued smoking. Notice how the period of time effects the numbers in the results of this study Effects of Smoking Cessation on Changes in Blood Pressure and Incidence of Hypertension : A 4-Year Follow-Up Study -- Lee et al. 37 (2): 194 -- Hypertension:

Those who had quit for less than a year had lower BP than continuing smokers, but those who had quit between 1 and 3 years were 1.5 times more likely to have hypertension than continuing smokers. And those who were quit for more than 3 years were 3.5 times more likely to have hypertension.

The Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial (MR FIT) study was a massive, lengthy, expensive clinical trial initiated in 1972 that was designed to demonstrate the value of special interventions to reduce health risks from smoking, high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol levels.

More quitters developed hypertension than continuing smokers.

11.5% of the special intervention group and 10.8% of the usual care group developed diabetes over 6 years of follow-up.

"Weight gain after smoking cessation and the use of antihypertensive drugs may have counterbalanced the beneficial effect of the lifestyle intervention for the special intervention group smokers, while the lifestyle intervention was beneficial among nonsmokers."