{"id":480504,"date":"2026-02-20T20:13:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T20:13:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/480504\/"},"modified":"2026-02-20T20:13:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T20:13:13","slug":"nicotine-makes-surprise-comeback-as-a-wellness-productivity-tool","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/480504\/","title":{"rendered":"Nicotine makes surprise comeback as a wellness, productivity tool"},"content":{"rendered":"

Biohackers like it. Athletes and Joe Rogan<\/a> do, too. Stanford neuroscientist and podcaster Andrew Huberman says it \u201csharpens the mind<\/a>.\u201d On social media, health and wellness influencers explain<\/a> how<\/a> they use<\/a> it<\/a> for a pre-workout<\/a> boost or as part of their \u201cstacks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nicotine, the stimulant that makes cigarettes so addictive, is getting a reputational makeover. As smoking rates fall in the U.S., companies and influencers are pushing<\/a> the purported cognitive and health benefits of indulging in oral nicotine and other products.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\tHow the myth that nicotine causes cancer is hurting public health<\/a><\/p>\n

Beyond mega brands like Philip Morris International\u2019s Zyn, a wave of startups with millennial-minimalist packaging now market \u201cclean,\u201d \u201cmodern\u201d nicotine pouches aimed at helping people \u201clock in\u201d and achieve their goals \u2014 whether that\u2019s leaping over a Land Rover on a mountain bike<\/a> or, per the tongue-in-cheek but still bro-y pouch brand Excel<\/a>, \u201cthe relentless pursuit of shareholder value.\u201d Tech companies like Palantir now stock vending machines<\/a> with nicotine pouches from brands Lucy and Sesh in the hopes of boosting their workers\u2019 productivity. Slate ran a first-person story<\/a> last year about experimenting with nicotine to treat brain fog. And marketing research firm NielsenIQ recently observed that nicotine patches have gotten a \u201chot new rebrand,\u201d with growth driven by nonsmokers turning to the products for weight loss<\/a> and as a \u201chealth aide\u201d for symptoms<\/a> of menopause<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But the nicotine wellness boom is precarious. Some of these products aren\u2019t technically legal in the U.S. To date, the only nicotine pouches authorized for sale<\/a> by the Food and Drug Administration are Zyn and on!, backed by Altria Group. The others could face legal risk. \u201cThe FDA\u2019s compliance actions could include issuing a warning letter to the company, injunction, or initiating a seizure of the illegal products,\u201d the agency told STAT in a statement.<\/p>\n

And while health experts widely support the use of research-backed products like nicotine patches and chewing gum for people trying to quit smoking, they worry about nonsmokers \u2014 particularly young people \u2014 starting down the path of nicotine products. Any health benefits that nicotine may have are frequently overblown or misinterpreted, they say, and outweighed by the problem of addiction.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve talked to people who consider themselves biohackers,\u201d said Paul Newhouse, a professor of psychiatry and pharmacology at Vanderbilt University who studies nicotine and cognition. \u201cI think for most of us, nicotine\u2019s effects will be marginal at best and negative at worst.\u201d<\/p>\n

How nicotine affects our bodies and brains<\/p>\n

Newhouse is frequently cited by nicotine evangelists for his findings on the stimulant\u2019s positive effects<\/a> for people with conditions<\/a> like Alzheimer\u2019s disease. He\u2019s also consulted with Philip Morris International\u2019s nicotine research program. But he said the idea that nicotine works as a \u201csmart drug\u201d is a misconception.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nicotine is \u201cvery unlikely to help the cognitive function of someone who is functioning at their normal capacity,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"\"\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tThe push to turn Big Food into the new Big Tobacco<\/a><\/p>\n

Instead, his work suggests that nicotine may sometimes improve concentration, focus, and clarity among people who have certain diseases or disorders that hamper their thinking. Its efficacy even in those situations is not guaranteed: His recent two-year clinical study of people with mild cognitive impairment, the MIND Study, found that nicotine did not slow memory loss<\/a> compared to placebo. And Newhouse stresses that nicotine actually hurts people\u2019s ability to think clearly if they don\u2019t have that kind of problem to begin with.<\/p>\n

Another important factor in interpreting Newhouse\u2019s research: He\u2019s most closely studied the effects of nicotine patches applied to the skin, which he said appear to be safe and unlikely to lead to addiction. For oral nicotine pouches, he said, \u201cI don\u2019t think we know the long-term safety risk.\u201d And he noted that oral nicotine products may be more habit-forming than skin patches.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s true that nicotine does not cause lung cancer<\/a> or the other major diseases associated with smoking cigarettes. (The culprit is combustible tobacco and the carcinogens produced when smoke is inhaled, which is why many harm-reduction advocates also support e-cigarettes as a substitute for cigarettes.) And for those who claim it gives them a much-needed energy boost, it makes sense that they feel an initial rush when nicotine hits their system: Nicotine triggers the release of dopamine and adrenaline.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But Brian King, an epidemiologist and former head of the Center for Tobacco Products at the FDA, noted that those effects are only temporary.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOver time, the brain\u2019s chemistry recalibrates around the constant presence of nicotine, and so the drug becomes the new normal,\u201d said King, who\u2019s now executive vice president of U.S. programs at the advocacy group Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. (Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids receives funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies, as does STAT. Bloomberg does not have editorial input on STAT\u2019s coverage.)\u00a0<\/p>\n

The rise of nicotine among influencers has a lot to do with its allure as a stimulant that can give people an extra edge while conceivably being framed as \u201cnatural.\u201d (They often mention that it\u2019s found in foods like tomatoes and eggplants, which is true, albeit at extremely low levels.) They also frequently try to compare nicotine to caffeine, categorizing it as a \u201cnootropic<\/a>\u201d and suggesting that both are relatively harmless, natural stimulants. But \u201cnicotine and caffeine are very distinct central nervous system stimulants with fundamentally different safety, dependence, and physiologic profiles,\u201d King said. \u201cUltimately it\u2019s not ideal if we have a perpetually nicotine-addicted population.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\tSTAT Plus: FDA authorizes sale of Zyn nicotine pouches, saying public health benefits outweigh risk<\/a><\/p>\n

Among the concerns: Nicotine can be a gateway<\/a> to other substance use, particularly for adolescents. It also poses risks to the cardiovascular system because it constricts blood vessels and increases blood pressure and heart rate. Studies on the particular health effects of oral nicotine pouches, however, are limited; the American Heart Association in 2024 called for more research<\/a> into those products.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In some ways, the buzz around nicotine as a wellness hack is nothing new. Tobacco companies were funding and promoting research into the cognitive benefits of nicotine as far back as the 1990s, according to Anna Kostygina, a principal research scientist at NORC at the University of Chicago who studies smokeless tobacco marketing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What\u2019s striking to her is the way influencers are showing off how they integrate nicotine into their supplements and wellness routines, \u201cnormalizing\u201d its use. That, Kostygina said, \u201craises concerns about introducing nonusers and new users to nicotine.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the most high-profile new nicotine startups is Athletic Nicotine, co-founded a few years ago by Jason Winn, a former college quarterback and Ironman competitor who\u2019d previously launched a sports nutrition bar called Bonk Breaker.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Athletic Nicotine, which says it caters to \u201chigh intensity, health-conscious individuals,\u201d has won endorsements from people like Rogan and Make America Healthy Again-affiliated journalist Max Lugavere. It sells \u201clow-dose\u201d pouches containing 1.5 milligram and 3 mg of nicotine along with the more standard 6 mg, and promotes its \u201cpremium\u201d quality as distinct from typical gas station offerings. The pouches, sold only online, cost $34.95 for a three-pack.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Winn has a lean, tan face and tousled blond hair befitting his California lifestyle. Speaking over Zoom from his office in Los Angeles, he described his usual pouch routine: one in the morning before weight training or a run, another for his first meeting of the day, a third in the afternoon, \u201cwhen I used to reach for another coffee,\u201d and his last one in the evening while cooking or coaching sports.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a discipline to it, to keep it low-dose and controlled,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Winn\u2019s interest in the nicotine business was piqued, he said, when he heard \u201cHuberman start to tiptoe around the benefits\u201d a few years back. He\u2019s careful in how he describes Athletic\u2019s products: \u201cWe definitely don\u2019t [see ourselves] as a wellness supplement; we see ourselves more of a tool for performance,\u201d he said. Sales are up 657% year-over-year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The company has also caught the attention of the FDA, receiving a warning letter<\/a> last year. Winn said Athletic is working with the agency on its marketing application and is currently in the scientific review phase. \u201cIt\u2019s expensive and it\u2019s long,\u201d he said of the process. \u201cWe\u2019re in it for the long run.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jayme Nabors, the co-founder of Nicotina nicotine energy drinks, told STAT the brand hasn\u2019t had much success so far in communicating with the FDA. \u201cWe\u2019re kind of caught in that same gray area\u201d as many nicotine pouches, he said, \u201choping the government can give us clear guidance on getting these products fully legal.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the meantime, the company is nearly sold out of its first run of about 250,000 cans, which are available online and in stores throughout the Southeast as well as a few other states. A four-pack costs $26 on the vape site MyVPro. The energy drinks contain either 3 mg or 6 mg of nicotine as well as caffeine from yerba mate.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody\u2019s looking for functional beverages,\u201d Nabors said. \u201cIt\u2019s kind of the new hot word everybody\u2019s talking about.\u201d Nicotine is an ingredient that makes his company\u2019s energy drink stand out, he said, and helps people \u201ctake advantage of the health benefits of nicotine, give you a little bit of a mood [boost].\u201d<\/p>\n

Not all biohackers are interested in nicotine \u2014 longevity entrepreneur Bryan Johnson warns against it<\/a>. But Dave Asprey, another fixture of the movement and the creator of the butter-enriched beverage Bulletproof Coffee and its associated products<\/a>, has been using it since he first learned about Newhouse\u2019s research on nicotine and Alzheimer\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Asprey\u2019s invested with the pouch brand Lucy, co-founded by some of the minds behind the meal-replacement drink Soylent<\/a> \u2014 another favorite among Silicon Valley desk jockeys. (Lucy is also the brand that makes Excel, the pouches aimed at tech and finance workers.) He occasionally throws up a Lucy referral code<\/a> for his followers when he posts about the benefits of nicotine and earns a commission when he tags the product on YouTube.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When he first started using nicotine, \u201cit was a magic four hours after I did it,\u201d Asprey told STAT via email. \u201cIt still gives me incredible focus, clarity, and high-level productivity.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

He warns his followers that nicotine is addictive and aims to limit his own intake to no more than 10 mg a day. He seemed shocked in an interview<\/a> with Lucy co-founder David Renteln last month when the latter man revealed he sometimes consumed up to three cans (or 45 pouches) in a day.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cDid your brain explode?\u201d Asprey asked, and then: \u201cAre there any negative effects of that kind of dosing?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cNot that I\u2019m aware of,\u201d Renteln said.<\/p>\n

Part of the appeal of nicotine as a health and longevity hack is that it\u2019s edgy and counterintuitive \u2014 the same sensibility that makes some wellness influencers and Make America Healthy Again leaders delight in urging people to embrace meat and butter<\/a> or drink raw milk<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. himself has been spotted popping nicotine pouches<\/a>. The MAHA-friendly podcast<\/a> \u201cCulture Apothecary\u201d invited chiropractor and nicotine acolyte Bryan Ardis on last year for an episode with the telling title<\/a> \u201cNicotine Is Not the Villain: What Big Pharma Hides From Parents.\u201d Jenny McCarthy, the entertainer now perhaps best known for claiming with no evidence that vaccines cause autism<\/a>, also touts the benefits of nicotine<\/a> for health.\u00a0<\/p>\n

King, the former FDA tobacco center chief, noted that the agency is working through a sizable backlog of applications from companies that sell nicotine products. But long wait times aren\u2019t a free pass: \u201cSimply submitting an application does not give a company safe harbor to sell as they please.\u201d<\/p>\n

City and state governments may also go after companies for violating their laws. The city of San Francisco, which has banned all flavored tobacco<\/a> products, reached a $1 million settlement with Lucy last month<\/a> because online sellers were shipping the product to locals.<\/p>\n

The age of self-optimization<\/p>\n

Startups tend to be more explicit in engaging with health and wellness, but major brands owned by legacy tobacco companies implicitly draw the same associations, said Robert Jackler, founder of the interdisciplinary research group Stanford Research into the Impact of Tobacco Advertising.<\/p>\n

He notes that Velo, the nicotine pouch brand owned by British American Tobacco, is the French word for \u201cbicycle\u201d and connotes the word \u201cvelocity\u201d \u2014 implying the pouches can give users an energetic rush. Zyn\u2019s advertising imagery features active people hiking<\/a>, snowboarding<\/a>, or making\u00a0 to-do lists as an act of self-improvement<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sometimes the rhetoric is more direct. Philip Morris International chief Stacey Kennedy told Axios last year<\/a> that nicotine has \u201ccertain cognitive benefits,\u201d language that\u2019s repeated<\/a> on the company\u2019s site, which also says the ingredient may help improve \u201cattention, memory, and fine motor function.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"\"\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tWhat RFK Jr.\u2019s milk mustache says about the historic power of dairy in the U.S.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

The most recent U.S. survey of youth tobacco use<\/a> in 2024 showed that about half a million, or 2%, of middle and high school students were using nicotine pouches. But anecdotally, based on social media and his own experiences walking around Stanford\u2019s campus, Jackler thinks they\u2019re \u201cvirally popular\u201d among young people, who may be particularly susceptible to the perception that nicotine can help them achieve goals in school and at the gym.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of chatter on social media by young people that if they take a nicotine pouch or an e-cigarette, that it will give them a buzz and help them to study and may help their performance,\u201d Jackler said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And in a cultural moment where an obsession with self-optimization has people flocking to buy<\/a> gray-market Chinese peptides<\/a> online and the health secretary himself has been spotted squirting what appears to be the synthetic dye methylene blue<\/a> into a glass of water, it makes sense that nonsmokers of various ages could get interested in experimenting with nicotine \u2014 a chemical that may seem reassuringly familiar by comparison.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Journalist Chris Gayomali, who writes the health and wellness newsletter Heavies<\/a>, is one such example. He was a smoker long ago but hadn\u2019t been a regular user of nicotine in years, having found that Zyn made him light-headed.<\/p>\n

But when Athletic Nicotine pitched him on its pouches, he decided to give it a try. \u201cIt hit a really sweet spot for me in terms of giving me energy and clearing out the fogginess,\u201d said Gayomali, the sleep-deprived father of a 3-year-old child. He still sometimes uses it before his Muay Thai workouts, which he does five or six days a week. But he\u2019s aware that he\u2019s taking a risk.<\/p>\n

\u201cI could definitely see myself getting addicted to them,\u201d he said. \u201cThese are a little too good at what they do.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

STAT\u2019s coverage of chronic health issues is supported by a grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies<\/a>. Our financial supporters<\/a> are not involved in any decisions about our journalism.<\/p>\n