From e-cigarettes to tobacco: This is how nicotine affects the body, except nicotine pouches

Here’s what you need to know about how high blood pressure affects the teenage brain. E-cigarette vaporizers, nicotine pouches alternatives to cigarettes, may not be as safe as previously thought. This is especially true of the fastest growing population in the market: teenagers.

The US Surgeon General reports that nicotine use itself is risky for both pregnant women and young people whose brains are developing. Due to the increasing use of these nicotine-filled electronic devices, studies have increased to show the long-term effects in adults.

Although nicotine replacement therapies such as chewing gum and lozenges have fewer negative effects compared to traditional smoking, people with cardiovascular disease are still concerned.

 

What does nicotine do to the brain

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly half of all high school students in the United States report having tried a tobacco product once. It is during these developmental years that some parts of the brain continue to develop.

ResearchTrusted Source showed that smoking during adolescence increases the risk of developing psychiatric disorders and cognitive impairment later in life.

Nicotine largely affects the area of ​​the brain responsible for attention, memory, learning and brain plasticity.

Brain development continues throughout adolescence and into young adulthood. However, different parts of the brain mature at different rates.

For example, the areas of social and sexual behavior are fully developed in early adolescence. In contrast, the development of the frontal cortex areas responsible for the cognitive control of behavior extends into young adulthood.

“In youth, early exposure to nicotine can reduce brain function and negatively affect concentration and memory,” says Patricia Folan, RN, DNP, director of the Tobacco Control Center at Northwell Health in Great Neck, New York. “Adolescent exposure to nicotine can be addictive and damage the developing adolescent brain.”

Being influenced by social media, peers, advertising, and drug use is partly due to this part of the brain, which is fully developed during adolescence – making young people’s urges strong.

The cognitive, self-control and decision-making strategy part of the brain is still under development. And this is an area greatly affected by nicotine.

The CDC estimates that smoking kills 6 million people worldwide each year—a number expected to rise to 8 million annually by 2030.

In addition, passive smoking causes almost 900,000 deaths per year, states the World Health Organization.

This makes smoking the world’s preventable killer.

More teenagers who are interested in electronic cigarettes

According to data from the 2017 National Youth Tobacco Use Survey, nearly 3 million high school students and 670,000 middle school students use tobacco products.

The majority of these – 2.1 million – use e-cigarettes. The top reasons kids use these devices are because of “a friend or family member’s use” (39 percent) and the availability of “flavors like mint, candy, fruit, or chocolate” (31 percent).

Since April, at least three lawsuits have been filed against Juul Labs, the maker of the popular e-cigarette device.

The lawsuit alleges that the company has fraudulently marketed the device as safe when they contain more effective doses of nicotine than traditional cigarettes. Part of the lawsuit demands changes to the company’s marketing methods.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently requesting documents from e-cigarette companies about design, target groups and even marketing practices. The FDA states that based on the information they receive from these companies, they can take enforcement action against them.

According to the National Cancer Institute, there are more than 250 harmful chemicals in cigarettes, at least 69 of which cause cancer. Some cancer-causing chemicals include arsenic, formaldehyde, nickel, carbon monoxide, and even cyanide.

Many consider e-cigarette devices to be a safe alternative to smoking, but experts warn that these devices can also contain dangerous chemicals.

“There are over 7,000 e-liquid flavors, most of which have not been tested for toxicity in vaporized form,” says Folan. “Some of the basic ingredients of e-liquids can be taken orally, but they can be toxic when inhaled and impair lung function. The long-term effects of e-cigarette use may not be known for a long time.”

A recent study published in the journal Thorax found that lung cells exposed to e-cigarette liquid were more likely to damage immune system cells.

Although the FDA approves several nicotine replacement therapies, such as gums, lozenges and patches, e-cigarettes have not yet been proven to help people quit smoking, according to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.