Ever heard of the phrase "everything never changes"? This phrase couldn't be more appropriate in the context of the cigarette and nicotine debate. In 2024, a study on nicotine has stirred the hearts of the public, and the collision between traditional ideas and new scientific discoveries has made people ask: Is nicotine a wolf in sheep's clothing, or a long-misunderstood savior?
Found a good excuse
Everyone knows that smoking hurts the body, and this saying has swept thousands of armies and almost become common sense. But if you walk into a smoky corner of Wudu in Longnan and hear the views of 65-year-old Zhang Bo, I'm afraid you will be a little confused. Zhang Bo, a tough guy who has been smoking for decades, can be described as swearing by his views on nicotine. His daughter was worried that he would get lung cancer, but he took the results of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and insisted that nicotine could reduce mortality by 40%. This belief seemed to give him a reason to ignore all the advice.
Found the secret of immortality
The cause of the incident dates back to 2024, a study published in Nature Communications, which tells the story of experiments in mice. Those little mice who ate nicotine had a 40% lower mortality rate, as if they had found the secret of immortality. But does that really mean that nicotine is a good thing? Don't worry, it's just a lab thing, and people and mice are two different things. Scientists are also not so easy to draw conclusions, emphasizing that these findings cannot be applied to humans casually, and that the nicotine involved is taken orally, not inhaled in smoking.
Let's take a look at the research
Let's talk about those who smoke every day. You might wonder how they didn't get lung cancer, and it's no secret for the sake of the Shanghai Jiao Tong University research team. Their article in Nature Genetics suggests that the body's ability to repair DNA and genetic differences may be key. Some people are born with superpowers to fight tobacco carcinogens, such as the miracle effect of the AKR1C2 gene.
Or smoke less
So, are we going to be able to smoke with a lot of fanfare? Apparently not. The dangers of smoking, especially the risk of lung cancer, are obvious to all. It's not something that any scientist can write off. And, let's not forget, this 2024 study only discusses the possible benefits of nicotine under certain conditions, such as low-dose, non-smoking intake, and non-addiction.
When it comes to smoking and health myths, there are so many things. For example, smoking can prevent COVID, or low nicotine can help with weight loss. But these are not scientifically proven, and you can't let yourself be a captive of smoke. On this issue, we need to keep a clear head and not be fooled by one-sided information.
Before we dive in, let's get to the bottom of a fundamental question: Is nicotine itself carcinogenic? The scientific community's answer to this is that nicotine is not the main cause of cancer while it is the main cause of tobacco addiction. Carcinogens are chemicals produced by the combustion of tobacco, such as tar and carbon monoxide. So, although nicotine is harmful, its "crime" does not include direct carcinogenicity.
Now, if we had a magnifying glass, we could look closely at people who smoke every day and are still healthy. It's not that their lungs are special, but that they may be among the lucky few, their genes give them a better ability to repair themselves, or their lifestyle is invisibly resistant. However, that doesn't mean that other people can have such good luck, after all, it's not wise to gamble on luck.
The question of whether nicotine is really anti-aging is far from conclusive. Even though the Chinese Academy of Sciences studies have shown that it has an effect on mice, we are not mice after all. In addition, even if nicotine does have this miraculous effect, it is undoubtedly worth the cost of consuming it by smoking. Smoking is not only nicotine ingest, but also pollution of the whole body.
Be cautious and don't be optimistic
What's more, this research is far from reaching a level that can be used to guide public health policy. Scientific research is a rigorous and meticulous process, and it is impossible to overturn a long-standing medical consensus because of one or two experiments. Therefore, until more research comes out, we should be cautious and should not be blindly optimistic.
In this whole discussion, we cannot ignore the fact that smoking is harmful far beyond lung cancer. Cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and even affecting fertility are all potential risks of smoking. Moreover, the cigarettes you smoke can also affect the people around you, and passive smoking can also pose a threat to their health.
In general, it is neither blindly believed nor blindly denied. Nicotine may not be the root of all evil, but it's never an excuse for us to indulge in smoking. We should face these studies with a more sensible and prudent attitude, and grasp the wisdom of "taking precautions" instead of waiting until it is too late to "make amends." After all, health is a blessing, life is priceless, and nothing can buy it.