It\u2019s also becoming more common to hear from influencers on Instagram or TikTok that nicotine has<\/a> health benefits, cognitive benefits, can boost energy<\/a> and promote relaxation. The problem with cigarettes, the influencers say, isn\u2019t the nicotine \u2015 it\u2019s the tobacco.<\/p>\n But experts told HuffPost there is much more to the story. Here\u2019s what to know.<\/p>\n Nicotine now comes in many forms, and not all carry the same benefits and risks.<\/p>\n It is true that nicotine can be helpful for some people, particularly those trying to quit smoking<\/a>, but nicotine comes in many forms \u2015 pouches, gum, patches, vapes \u2015 and not all forms are good.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a society, we\u2019ve been promoting the use of nicotine patches and nicotine gum to help people stop smoking for decades, and we generally consider those to be safe,\u201d said Dr. Frank Leone<\/a>, the director of the Comprehensive Smoking Treatment Program at the University of Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n What\u2019s the difference between a treatment like nicotine gum and a non-treatment like nicotine pouches? The formulation, for example, is vastly different.<\/p>\n \u201c[Nicotine patches] actually use a nicotine that is sourced from the plant and purified,\u201d Leone explained. \u201cThe newer nicotine delivery devices like pouches, like the newer vapes, use a synthetic form of nicotine, which the chemists recognize actually have different pharmacologic characteristics inside the brain.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe synthetic forms of nicotine are optimized to be absorbed and delivered to the brain very rapidly, creating the problems of addiction,\u201d Leone added.<\/p>\n Another major difference? Things like nicotine patches or gum are intended to be used for a short period of time, such as months or a year, and then discontinued, Leone said. People are using pouches and vapes often with no end date in mind.<\/p>\n More, nicotine gum, when used to treat people who are trying to quit smoking or vaping, has between 2 and 4 milligrams of nicotine, said Dr. Pamela Ling<\/a>, the director of the University of California, San Francisco Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education.<\/p>\n \u201cZyn pouches [a popular brand of nicotine pouches] start at 3 milligrams and go to 6 milligrams,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also \u201cvery easy to get 9 milligrams, 12 milligrams, 15-milligram pouches\u201d from some brands, according to Ling. This leads people to consume much higher doses of nicotine.<\/p>\n Peter Dazeley via Getty Images<\/p>\n Nicotine pouches are ballooning in popularity, but they are addictive, dangerous and have unknown risks.<\/p>\n Claiming that nicotine is not linked to cancer is not a fair statement. <\/p>\n The dose of nicotine matters. \u201cNicotine at high levels … is able to distort the cellular mechanisms that we know have the potential to lead to cancer,\u201d Leone said. \u201cThe newer products actually get very high levels of nicotine into the body.\u201d<\/p>\n More, some people subscribe to the idea of \u201cdouble decking,\u201d which is when they put two nicotine pouches in their mouth to boost the effect, Leone added.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have no idea if they\u2019re unknowingly creating the kinds of high levels of nicotine in the body that that have been associated with this biological factor in the laboratory,\u201d Leone explained. \u201cSo, I worry.\u201d<\/p>\n According to Ling, \u201cthere is evidence that nicotine isn\u2019t by itself a carcinogen … nicotine isn\u2019t known to cause cancer.\u201d But that also isn\u2019t the full story, Ling added, since cancer takes a long time to develop and many of these high-dose nicotine products (vapes, pouches) are just a few years old.<\/p>\n There have been studies<\/a> in young people who vape but have never smoked cigarettes that show these individuals have the same DNA changes to the cells in their mouth and throats that are seen in people who smoke cigarettes, Ling explained.<\/p>\n \u201cThink of how long it takes for cancer to develop \u2014 it\u2019s going to take years to actually have cancer outcomes, but the more we learn about people vaping or people using nicotine products, the more concerns there are about its long-term safety,\u201d Ling added.<\/p>\n The suggestion that nicotine promotes relaxation and better brain function is also not totally accurate.<\/p>\n \u201cLike every other hack on Instagram, it sounds great upfront in a 30-second sound bite, but when you start to actually try and implement the ideas, things start to break down,\u201d Leone said.<\/p>\n It is true that nicotine is not responsible for all of the \u201cill health effects\u201d that come with cigarette smoking, \u201cbut it\u2019s not completely benign,\u201d Leone added.<\/p>\n When it comes to cognitive benefit, some studies do suggest that nicotine can benefit your attention and focus, according to Ling, \u201cbut these are really limited neurological types of trials where people are … completing really simple tasks.\u201d<\/p>\n The studies also had conflicts of interest<\/a>; \u201cthere was a lot of studies that were funded by people connected to tobacco companies doing this science,\u201d Ling added. The literature was also mixed \u2014 some studies said nicotine may have a cognitive benefit, while others did not find benefit<\/a>, she added.<\/p>\n When it comes to promised relaxation or stress relief, experts also have their doubts.<\/p>\n \u201cIt turns out that exposure to nicotine impacts, influences, distorts the connection between the parts of the brain that manage stress and the physical effects in the body of the adrenal gland producing cortisol, which is the stress management hormone,\u201d Leone explained.<\/p>\n Stress management requires coordination between the body and the brain, he added. \u201cNicotine interrupts that pathway [and] makes it harder for it to work.\u201d<\/p>\n People then end up needing nicotine to help them manage their stress, Leone noted. \u201cSo, is it that nicotine is helping them to manage stress, or is it that nicotine has made it impossible for them to manage stress without nicotine around?\u201d<\/p>\n Nicotine changes the brain, which is especially dangerous (and addictive) for young people.<\/p>\n According to Ling, nicotine changes your brain in a rapid manner.<\/p>\n \u201cEven if it feels like you might have more energy or focus when you start, you really rapidly end up needing to use nicotine to feel normal,\u201d Ling said.<\/p>\n Nicotine activates what\u2019s known as acetylcholine receptors in your brain, she said. Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter that sends messages throughout your body and is involved in many processes<\/a>, including voluntary muscle movement, memory and thinking. <\/p>\n \u201cAs soon as you start using nicotine, your brain starts making more of the receptors, which is why people become addicted,\u201d Ling explained, \u201cbut also, changing the number of receptors in your brain leads to that craving, and this is especially true for young people.\u201d<\/p>\n Young people are more susceptible because their brains are growing and \u201cstill pretty plastic,\u201d Ling said, which is why young people have an easier time learning a new language, for example. <\/p>\n \u201cSo, adding nicotine to a developing or growing brain changes the structure of your neurons, and so it\u2019s actually much more easy to get addicted to nicotine when you\u2019re young,\u201d Ling said.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also harder to feel \u201cnormal\u201d without nicotine because your brain has developed in a way that relies on a nicotine addiction.<\/p>\n \u201cIn order for you to accurately appreciate the value of using nicotine, you have to understand what form of nicotine you\u2019re being exposed to,\u201d Leone said.<\/p>\n If you haven\u2019t started using nicotine, don\u2019t start.<\/p>\n Any black-and-white claims that nicotine is \u201cgood\u201d for you from an influencer online aren\u2019t accurate.<\/p>\n Unless you are working with a medical professional to use nicotine patches or gum to quit smoking, you shouldn\u2019t start using nicotine for any so-called health boon.<\/p>\n Nicotine is useful in the case of smoking cessation, and has the potential to be beneficial in the treatment of specific illnesses, but that is still being researched.<\/p>\n \u201cI have nothing against nicotine as a chemical,\u201d Leone said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is not the chemical that is at fault. It is the way it is produced, it is the way that it is packaged, it is the modifications that the chemical engineers make to it. It is the way people use it. It is the expectations that they have of it that become the problem,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Any perceived in-the-moment benefits of nicotine (relaxation, focus) will likely be met with issues such as addiction, brain changes and DNA changes \u2014 and all of the harms of these new nicotine products aren\u2019t fully known yet.<\/p>\n \u201cOur kids are smack in the middle of a large-scale experiment without their consent,\u201d Leone said. \u201cYou get one brain, why would you take a chance and expose yourself to something that is designed to promote brain change?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re in a situation where people are paying to be guinea pigs,\u201d Ling added, \u201cand then we\u2019re going to wait and see who gets sick.\u201d <\/p>\n This story has been updated to clarify the nicotine strength in Zyn pouches.<\/p>\n Need help with substance use disorder or mental health issues? In the U.S., call 800-662-HELP (4357) for the SAMHSA National Helpline<\/a>.<\/p>\n The original version of this story was published on HuffPost at an earlier date.<\/p>\n![\"Nicotine](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/6a285624140000e8826b4b7c.jpeg\")
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