According to a major study by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, nicotine has a systemic anti-aging effect on the human body. The study, led by the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, analyzed the impact of nicotine on the human body’s anti-aging substance NAD+. NAD+ plays a vital role in maintaining cell vitality and is increased by the popular anti-aging product NMN. Nicotine was found to increase the activity of NAMPT, a core indicator of NAD+ levels, which leads to more stable NAD+ levels and an “anti-aging” effect.
In animal experiments, the NAMPT activity of mice decreased with age but was significantly restored after ingesting trace amounts of nicotine for 6-12 months, especially in the heart. Nicotine was found to have a direct effect on increasing NAD+ levels and can significantly reduce the symptoms of aging in the brain, heart, and other tissues. Nicotine also effectively relieved anxiety, protected memory, and improved cognitive impairment in aged mice.
To achieve the anti-aging effects of nicotine, both “long-term” and “trace” conditions are indispensable. The mice took nicotine for at least 6 months, which is long enough based on their average lifespan of 2 years, and chronic intake of 10 ng/mL nicotine can significantly increase NAD+ levels.
Vapes with lower nicotine content may help delay aging, while cigarettes with higher nicotine content may not be effective and may even have the opposite effect. Despite the anti-aging benefits of nicotine, cigarettes contain 69 carcinogens, which can cause significant harm to the body. E-cigarettes, on the other hand, can reduce the harm of cigarettes by 95% as they do not involve the tobacco burning process.
A study published in February 2021 by JAMA Network Open also confirms that e-cigarettes have a harm-reducing effect, and when smokers completely switch to e-cigarettes, their physical health will improve. Neal L Benowitz, a tobacco control expert and one of the lead authors of the paper, hopes that smokers can have a more comprehensive understanding of the harm reduction effect of electronic cigarettes and switch to them completely to improve their physical health.
