4 must-know harmful effects of tobacco
It wouldn’t harm much to say that nicotine does not have a great reputation, need we say, that it doesn’t deserve one either. Nicotine has been viewed as a menacing chemical to the body. With its insidiously toxic qualities, nicotine does not have any positives associated with it. Cigarettes, one of the primary carriers of nicotine, cause a bundle of problems among humans. The nicotine in cigarettes can lead to heart problems, smoking addiction, and hamper brain functionality.

Let’s have a closer look at the effects of a nicotine addiction on the human body.

How is nicotine absorbed by the body?
When absorbing the nicotine from cigarettes, it makes its way through the lung’s membranes into the bloodstream. Usually, when nicotine is absorbed in an alkaline environment, the flow is smoother, and it reaches the bloodstream much more effectively. Most tobacco companies increase the pH levels to encourage high absorption of nicotine. Once in the bloodstream, the nicotine flows into the heart. Thereafter, it is moved to the arteries and then the brain. This entire process takes anywhere between 10 and 20 seconds. The quick absorption process is why smokers have astoundingly high levels of nicotine.

What are the short-term effects of nicotine?
Being a regular smoker, it is easy to notice the short-term effects of nicotine on the body. However, this process is a lot more complicated than one would imagine it to be. As nicotine is a stimulant, it gives one pleasure and impacts other functions of the body as well. It has the capability of increasing the heart rate while also improving the attention span and focus. It follows a biphasic action, consuming a smaller amount allows it to act as a stimulant while larger amounts can work in relaxing you. Smokers inhale deeply to get a relaxing effect or take smaller breaths to get the stimulant effect. Most smokers alter their breathing patterns without realizing the change.

How are the effects of nicotine created?
The effects that nicotine has on the body are solely created by its ability to bind with receptors in the body. It is similar to the phenomenon of only a certain key fitting the lock. There are only a few receptors that nicotine can bind with. These receptors are known as nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nACHRs). The binding process is a lot more complex as every single nACHR is home to five different subunits. A combination of these subunits determines the results that will be derived from the receptor binding with nicotine. The wide range and multiple subunits are the primary reason for the varied effects of nicotine on the human body.

After the detailed binding process is concluded, nicotine stimulates to release neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters work like chemical messengers that send and receive signals to the brain. One of the most commonly known neurotransmitters is dopamine. There are multiple studies that give birth to varied implications about dopamine, but it merely serves the purpose of allowing you to remember rewards. This is one of the key reasons why dopamine plays a pivotal role in forming various addictions. Other neurotransmitters of nicotine include serotonin, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate, and noradrenaline.

How harmful is nicotine for the human body?
A fairly simple way to explain the absorption of nicotine is, nicotine is present in tobacco, which is harmful to the human body, so nicotine harms the body. Nicotine might be one of the major players in building an addiction, but it does not cause all the harms associated with smoking or tobacco.

Nicotine can have serious and immediate negative effects on your heart, but it does not the cause lung cancer. It could promote the growth of tumors, but it is not the primary causing factor. Nicotine affects the functioning of the brain because of the dopamine and other neurotransmitters, and it has a massive impact on the stamina and the functionality of the lungs. Respiratory issues are another probable harm associated with the administration of nicotine in the body.