So, you're probably thinking "Whaaaaaaaaat?!". Trust me, you're not alone.I'm making this thread as an FYI to all my fellow vapers out there that this claim is circulating like wildfire, despite the severe lack of any research or studies to back it. If you haven't been confronted by this argument yet, whether in real life or the internet, you will be soon.
So why is this happening?
I've done some exhaustive research on tracking down where this claim originated from. I've discovered that these baseless accusations are a result of a combination of social media, quack newspaper articles, and imageboards like 4chan. With the imageboards in particular, threads concerning vaping are being flooded with Alzheimer's statements, without any proof or source, often as a trolling method. Obviously this does nothing but further propagate these claims.
Many of you might know about the tug-of-war regarding Cigarettes Preventing Alzheimer's vs Cigarettes Causing Alzheimer's. Multiple claims from both sides have been in print media over the last few years. The overall conception was that smoking cigarettes increased your chances of Alzheimer's later in life, mostly because of the prevailing number of articles written from that point of view, as detailed in an article at The Guardian: Smoking prevents Alzheimer's? It depends who you ask | Science | The Guardian.
Now, here is the conclusion excerpt from a PMC article at NCBI:
"For the last two decades, the tobacco industry has been actively funding research that supports the position that cigarette smoking protects against AD, and for the past two decades, the scientific literature has reported conflicting results as to the direction of the association between smoking and AD. Consequently, older smokers and their health care providers have been unaware that smoking is a modifiable risk factor for AD. There is an association between tobacco industry affiliation and the conclusions of individual studies and, probably, review papers of AD. Controlling for industry affiliation, study design and other factors, smoking is not protective against AD; it is a significant and substantial risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease."
Source: Cigarette smoking is a risk factor for Alzheimer
Ok, so we know that cigarettes are a risk factor for Alzheimer's. But why?
Here is an excerpt from the UK Express:
"Smoking is known to contribute to inflammation and oxidative stress, both of which are believed to be important in the development of Alzheimer’s...Now, this latest study, which is published in the journal Nature Communications, found that exposing mice to cigarette smoke increases the severity of some of the abnormalities in the brain that are typical of Alzheimer’s disease, such as neuroinflammation and the build up of amyloid plaques and defective tau protein."
Source: Smoking doubles risk of developing Alzheimer's, scientists claim | Health | News | Daily Express
Look at the causes: inflammation and oxidative stress in the brain. Pretty scary stuff right?
Here is where it gets a bit confusing though, folks: Studies are coming out and showing that nicotine may be beneficial in slowing Alzheimer's.
Here's an excerpt from an article at ABC News:
"The nicotine patch designed to help people quit smoking can also improve memory in older adults with mild cognitive impairment, or MCI, a small clinical trial found. The trial involved 67 non-smokers with MCI, which is considered an intermediate between normal aging and dementia. People with MCI are more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease. Half of the patients wore a skin patch that delivered 15 milligrams of nicotine per day; the other half wore a placebo patch. The study was double-blinded, meaning both the patients and the researchers were unaware who was getting the drug. After six months, patients who wore the nicotine patch regained 46 percent of their age-adjusted "normal performance" on long-term memory tests, whereas patients in the placebo group worsened by 26 percent."
Source: Nicotine Patch Improves Memory in People With Mild Cognitive Impairment - ABC News
And another from BBC News:
"A by-product of nicotine may help prevent the plaques linked to Alzheimer's disease from forming. But the by-product itself is toxic, so researchers are hoping to produce an artificial version to help patients."
Source: BBC NEWS | Health | Nicotine 'reduces Alzheimer's symptoms'
So what does this mean?
Well researchers know that nornicotine, which is produced when your body breaks down nicotine, is the effective element in possibly treating MCI and Alzheimer's. Nornicotine is also a toxic compound that can do damage if it accumulates in your body. Scientists also know that smoking is harmful, and isn't a viable option for nicotine delivery. What they have been using thus far as a delivery device during research are the NRT nicotine patches that you can buy over the counter.
As more research is done on the effects of vaping, we may find that the risks associated with vaping are on par with NRT devices like patches.
The bottom line?
Vaping may be a viable nicotine delivery system for MCI and Alzheimer's research, and may possibly lead to nicotine-based treatments.
This is the polar opposite of the accusation being spread around. It's my hope that when any of you are confronted with the bogus "Vaping Leads to Alzheimer's" argument, you will be able to use this to dispel the disinformation, and hopefully stop this bogus claim in its tracks.
Thanks for reading, and vape on!
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