Precisely as a process, a kind of ritual, a psychological action, because there is no benefit here. So, entering the lungs along with smoke, nicotine is absorbed into the alveoli and capillaries, where the process of gas exchange occurs. The next destination is the smoker's blood, which brings it to the brain.
Studies aimed at finding out the effect of nicotine on the human body have shown that this harmful substance most affects the respiratory, digestive, cardiovascular and nervous systems. At the first contact of a neuron with nicotine, the nerve reacted aggressively to the stimulus, for which it needed much less energy (electric current) than usual - the body resisted.
Subsequent contacts caused habituation of the nerve, and subsequently a “demand” to return the stimulus nicotine. This is precisely the principle of the body’s adaptation to this poison.
Nicotine can also replace (short-term) the natural release of endorphin (the pleasure hormone), while the natural production of the hormone slows down and subsequently stops altogether.
It takes only 8 seconds for nicotine to travel from the alveoli to the brain. The CNS (central nervous system) reacts to this poison as follows: acetylcholinergic receptors, under the influence of an irritant, change the functioning of all body systems. As a result, blood pressure rises, heart rate increases, blood vessels in the periphery narrow, and in the brain, on the contrary, they expand. Adrenaline is released into the blood, and at the same time glucose levels increase.
The body spends a certain amount of energy on all these reactions, therefore, even without doing physical exercise, a smoker does not gain weight. But this is not the health-improving effect that sports, for example, brings. In this case, the result will most likely be negative. Due to the release of adrenaline and the release of endorphins, the smoker feels euphoria, clarity, increased mood and strength. But a maximum of half an hour passes, all of the above effects fade, and the body requires a dose of pleasure.
Nicotine causes both physical and mental dependence.
Physical dependence
The body gets used to the supply of nicotine and begins to require it in case of prolonged absence (akin to drug addiction). When you give up cigarettes, the so-called “withdrawal” begins: performance decreases, interruptions in heart function are observed, and depressive states occur, accompanied by headaches. But this, as they say, is only one side of the coin. If physical addiction were the only one, it could easily be overcome. For example, using nicotine-like drugs.
Mental dependence
This addiction is much more complex and harder to overcome. Smoking, as mentioned above, is a kind of rite, a kind of ritual, which, subsequently, is extremely difficult for a person to do without. Someone smokes while waiting for transport at a bus stop, someone whiles away the time with a cup of coffee, with friends, while talking. You never know, each person has their own habits. And since habit is second nature, you have to fight it very hard and persistently.
To change your habits, you need to change yourself, your stereotypes, your worldview. Such withdrawal is much more serious than physical need. Medicines are powerless here; a strong-willed decision is necessary. And without the consent of the smoker himself, without his firm intention, nothing will happen.
Effect on the body
Smoking harms the digestive system. But before that, the blow falls on the teeth, mucous membranes of the mouth, nose and larynx. Due to temperature changes, tooth enamel is destroyed. The yellow color occurs because tobacco tar settles in the cracks formed, which in addition to its color has a specific odor. Dissolving in saliva, nicotine enters the stomach, where it irritates the mucous membrane of the stomach, and then the mucous membrane of the duodenum. This leads to pain, ulcers, and gastritis.
Harmful substances contained in tobacco (acids, ammonia, particulate matter, pyridine bases) irritate the lining of the lungs. Ammonia (ammonia) can contribute to the development of non-febrile bronchitis, and this, in turn, significantly increases the risk of developing tuberculosis. Tobacco tar, which settles on the walls of the mucous membrane, interferes with gas exchange and oxygen enrichment.
The heart of a smoker makes 15 thousand more contractions per day than the heart of a person who does not have this addiction. Such a load leads to wear and tear of the heart muscle, firstly, and secondly, working at an increased rate, the heart does not receive enough oxygen that is required under this load. Why? The vessels are narrowed, spasmed, and blood flow is hampered. The second reason is that instead of carrying oxygen, hemoglobin “carries” carbon monoxide.
All these factors lead to the development of coronary heart disease, angina pectoris, and heart attack. Hypertension is a frequent guest of smokers; in addition, it is often complicated by hypertensive crises. This leads to impaired cerebral circulation, and subsequently to a stroke.
A disease such as obliterating endarteritis (damage to the vascular system of the legs) is a consequence of smoking, since it practically does not occur in non-smokers. The most severe form of this disease is the occurrence of gangrene.
Nicotine affects the condition of the skin, making it yellow and wrinkled. The fingers take on a yellowish-brown tint. There is a cough and shortness of breath. For men, smoking is fraught with impotence.
It is worth noting that smoking at school age directly affects a student’s academic performance. If a student smokes, his mental and physical development slows down. Since depression is not uncommon when smoking, young people lose the desire to develop and learn anything, and it is more difficult for them to decide on the choice of activities to their liking. Such teenagers are more “excited” and nervous, they experience memory deterioration, and they think slower.
Passive smoking is also unsafe. In this case, there is a significant risk of developing lung cancer, as well as acquiring other diseases associated with the respiratory system. If one spouse smokes in a family, the other has a 30% increased risk of developing cancer.
The influence of nicotine on the body of a pregnant woman is fraught with all sorts of pathologies and abnormalities in the unborn child. In such mothers, children are born prematurely, there is a high risk of miscarriage or fetal death, and the death of the child in the first year of life. Children of smokers often lag behind in physical and mental development.
To smoke or not to smoke? Of course, this is a personal matter for everyone, but any sane person will choose a healthy lifestyle without cigarettes.
And lungs. Those who abuse this bad habit quickly deteriorate their teeth, and their face begins to acquire a yellowish color. But many people don't think about how smoking affects the liver.
How does smoking affect liver function?
The negative effect of cigarette smoke on this organ occurs due to the fact that all metabolic processes - the processing of a large number of different substances, including nicotine, occur in the liver. When you inhale a cigarette, the smoke enters the respiratory system and is immediately absorbed into the blood, and it contains slightly less than 4 thousand different substances. The liver must process all these components, and they must become safe for the entire human body.
The effect of smoking on the liver cannot be underestimated. She, neutralizing the chemicals found in tobacco smoke, suffers greatly. In addition, all organs are negatively affected. The bottom line is that when hepatocytes process nicotine and tar, other harmful substances are absorbed into the blood. They affect other organs and can provoke many diseases, disrupt metabolic processes, and at best simply lead to poor health.
Harmful effects of nicotine and tobacco smoke on the liver
After nicotine enters the liver, it is processed by hepatocytes into cotinine (an alkaloid) that is harmless to the body. But for this process to occur, it must release a large amount of cytochrome P450 (enzyme). The problem is that the liver can produce it only in strictly limited quantities, and it is also required for normal hormone metabolism and the removal of endogenous toxins.
Tobacco smoke consists of the following substances:
- Nicotine (is an alkaloid poison).
- Polonium, lead and radium (radioactive nuclides).
- Substances that enhance taste (substitutes for tastes and smells created synthetically).
- Carbon monoxide.
- Resin.
- Ammonia.
- Tar.
- Benzene.
- Butane.
- Cadmium.
- Turpentine.
- Propylene glycol.
- Benzopyrene.
- Arsenic.
All these substances are carcinogenic and very toxic. They are much more harmful than car exhaust fumes, and you can imagine how dangerous the effect of smoking is on the liver.
Smoke from cigarettes affects this organ in such a way that the production of enzymes is reduced significantly and this leads to metabolic disorders, deterioration of metabolism, sex hormones begin to be poorly produced and the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract is disrupted. Plus, smokers have problems associated with the functioning of the cardiovascular system and weakened immunity.
These harmful chemical components act on the liver of a person who smokes cigarettes so much that even powerful medications become practically powerless in the fight against them. The problem lies not in the drugs themselves, but in the fact that the smoker’s liver does not produce enough enzymes to process the tablets and they simply enter the intestines undigested and do not provide any benefit.
Nicotine not only affects the liver directly. It constricts the blood vessels, causing less blood to flow into the organ and preventing it from working as well as it should.
The effects of smoking on the liver
In people who suffer from this addiction, the liver cannot fully cleanse the blood of various toxic substances that enter the human body along with food, water and air. The liver weakens and cannot fully perform the following functions:
- Neutralize toxins entering the blood.
- Fight chronic diseases.
- Neutralize fat levels with the help of cholesterol produced.
- Fight carcinogenic substances.
- Problems with blood vessels appear.
For most smokers who like to occasionally drink beer, or even something stronger, eat fatty and smoked foods, as well as those who live in industrial urban areas, on average, after 10 or 15 years of such a life, the liver “regenerates.” Hepatocytes, which were absolutely healthy, begin to be replaced by adipose tissue, vascular sclerosis appears and many toxins enter the blood.
Enzymes and hormones that the liver must produce in large quantities, as well as glucose, are produced less and less. The result of all these processes is disappointing. The functioning of the entire circulatory and digestive system is disrupted, due to the fact that it is this organ that produces the synthesis of thrombopoietin and hepcidin. Thanks to the first, platelet synthesis is regulated in the bone marrow, and hepcidin is responsible for the synthesis of iron homeostasis in the human body.
Why does nicotine addiction occur and what is the role of the liver?
Many people think that this organ has nothing to do with nicotine addiction, but this is not so. Nicotine is a necessary substance for humans, but only in small quantities. The liver has a function that allows it to produce this substance and, most importantly, it is completely harmless. But it should be noted that the nicotine produced by the liver is not the same as that in cigarette smoke. When smoking a cigarette, smokers have an excess of this substance and the body stops producing it. This is why it is so difficult to quit smoking.
People need to get a certain dose of nicotine, but after abruptly quitting the habit, especially if the person has been smoking for a large number of years, it stops being produced. This is why there is such a strong addiction to cigarettes. But if you abstain from smoking for a while, the liver will resume producing nicotine and the dependence on tobacco smoke will disappear.
Even those who are not addicted to smoking cigarettes, when surrounded by them, inhale tobacco smoke, and the liver produces the necessary enzymes so that the body can cleanse itself and remove toxic substances in the urine. In people who smoke, the enzyme that is responsible for removing nicotine from the human body is produced in ever larger quantities, and nicotine is eliminated faster and faster. This may seem good to some, but, oddly enough, this is what causes addiction to tobacco smoke. This is because nicotine is removed so quickly that the body begins to require its replenishment much faster. Smoking and a healthy liver are incompatible.
If a person whose liver function is impaired completely stops smoking, as well as drinking alcohol, the liver will begin to recover. Before you start smoking, you should first think carefully about whether this addiction is worth subjecting your liver to such tests.
Nicotine is an alkaloid synthesized in the roots of plants of the nightshade family and accumulated in the leaves. Nicotine is found mainly in tobacco and shag, but is also present in small doses in eggplants, green peppers, potatoes and tomatoes, as well as in coca leaves. Nicotine is a potent neuro- and cardiotoxin. When this substance is constantly ingested into the body, a person develops a strong but treatable addiction. The effect of nicotine on the body leads to the development of a number of serious diseases.
How nicotine works
When nicotine enters the body, it quickly spreads through the bloodstream throughout all organs. 7 seconds is enough for nicotine to penetrate the brain. Nicotine can cross the blood-brain barrier (the physiological defense of the central nervous system against microorganisms circulating in the blood). The dose of nicotine entering the body with each cigarette smoked is significantly less than the amount of nicotine contained in smoke. When smoking, the amount of nicotine entering the body is much lower than when using snuff and chewing tobacco.
Nicotine, entering the body, affects nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, increasing their activity, which leads to increased production of epinephrine, as well as the release of adrenaline and norepinephrine into the blood, which in turn changes the emotional background of a person, generating a feeling of excitement, vigor, clarity of mind, a surge of strength, psychological relaxation, a feeling of lightness and happiness.
The effect of nicotine on the cardiovascular system manifests itself in the form of tachycardia, increased blood pressure, and vasoconstriction, which leads to impaired blood supply to organs. The effect of nicotine on internal organs is due to a reflex action. The effect of nicotine on receptors also increases the production of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that causes a feeling of pleasure and satisfaction.
Nicotine, under the influence of enzymes, is oxidized to non-toxic nicotinic acid (vitamin PP), but the human body does not produce the enzymes necessary for oxidation. Therefore, a lack of vitamin PP can be observed even in smokers.
The effect of nicotine on the human body
One cigarette can contain up to 1.27 mg of nicotine, which, when administered intravenously, is a lethal dose for humans. The influence of nicotine changes the functioning of all organ systems. Nicotine develops psychological and physical dependence.
Psychological dependence is a habit that forms against the background of repeated repetition of an action. Psychological dependence on nicotine is enhanced by changes in the emotional background, which is one of the main factors in the influence of nicotine on the body. The smoker gets used not only to receiving a dose of nicotine that stimulates nervous activity (which is a physical addiction), but also to the ritual itself, which turns into an integral part of his life.
The negative effect of this substance on the body is manifested in disruption of the functioning of its main systems: the central nervous system, cardiovascular and endocrine systems. In addition to the formation of psychological and physical dependence, nicotine contributes to the development of cancer of the respiratory system, coronary artery disease, and chronic bronchitis. Smokers exposed to constant exposure to nicotine are more likely to develop thrombosis and atherosclerosis, since nicotine promotes vasoconstriction.
The effect of nicotine on the body is also manifested in delayed healing of ulcers and chronic hypersecretion of mucus. The influence of nicotine contributes to the early development of impotence in men. Women exposed to constant exposure to nicotine have difficulty conceiving and successfully carrying a pregnancy to term.
Nicotine poisoning: main signs
Exceeding the dose of nicotine in the body leads to poisoning. The main symptoms of acute nicotine poisoning are:
- Severe dizziness, disorientation in space;
- Nausea, increased salivation, vomiting, diarrhea;
- Heart rhythm disturbances, increased blood pressure;
- Breathing disorder, hearing disorder, vision disorder;
- Convulsions;
- Paralysis of the respiratory center (leads to death).
There is also chronic nicotine poisoning, the symptoms of which are:
- Inflammatory processes of the mucous membranes of the oral cavity, larynx, nasopharynx;
- Development of chronic diseases of the respiratory system;
- Increased salivation;
- Reducing the acidity of gastric juice;
- Increased motility of the large intestine.
Smoking has become a big problem nowadays. Everyone knows that it is harmful, yet many continue to smoke. Nicotine contained in cigarettes, even in small doses, has a detrimental effect on the body. The problem is that not everyone understands what nicotine is and exactly how it affects human health. Let's look into this issue!
general characteristics
So nicotine is an alkaloid found in plants of the nightshade family. The largest amount of this substance is found in tobacco, but there are 66 other crops that contain it to a lesser extent. Nicotine is found in small quantities even in vegetables such as tomatoes, bell peppers, potatoes and eggplant.
In dry tobacco, nicotine can range from 0.3 to 5% by weight. Its biosynthesis occurs in the roots, and accumulation occurs in the leaves. Nicotine is a colorless, oily liquid. It boils at a temperature of 247.6 °C and darkens very quickly when exposed to air. At temperatures of 60-210 °C, nicotine is partially dissolved in water. And at temperatures below 60 and above 210 °C it mixes well with water.
The name "nicotine" appeared in honor of Jean Nicot, who was the French ambassador to the Portuguese court. In 1560, he sent Queen Catherine de Medici some tobacco as a remedy for migraines. In addition to migraines, they treated rheumatism, asthma, toothache and wounds.
Nicotine and humanity
Many will ask: “Why smoke it?” The fact is that smoking is not only an addiction to nicotine, but also a habit of keeping oneself busy with something. Therefore, for those who cannot quit this crap just like that, you can do it smoothly by replacing a simple cigarette with an electronic one.
Conclusion
So, we are once again convinced that smoking causes irreparable harm. But besides nicotine, cigarettes also contain a lot of harmful substances. Therefore, it is better to learn to please yourself with other things and depend on something more pleasant, for example, on love, as in the song “Former Nicotine.” We wish you good health!
Kills a horse. Has it ever occurred to you that a person who smokes a couple of packs of cigarettes every day does not suffer at all from these same nicotine drops? Moreover, it can be hard for a smoker when he is forced to give up nicotine doping for a while. So what kind of substance is nicotine? And why is it that what is good for a smoker is death for a horse?
History of the conquest of mankind
Nicotine began its victorious march, the conquest of tribes and peoples back in ancient times, when no one had heard of it. A man smoked tobacco, enjoyed it, and did not think about why tobacco smoke was so attractive. Christopher Columbus, who, along with the discovery of America, discovered a hitherto unknown activity for Europeans - smoking, could not even imagine what efforts his descendants would make to eradicate this evil, and how ineffective these efforts would be. Tobacco smoking rapidly spread across the continent and, despite the fact that some countries had strict bans on the use of tobacco, the number of smokers grew and is growing to this day.
The veil over the mystery of addiction to tobacco was lifted only at the beginning of the 19th century, when the French chemist Vauquelin managed to isolate a certain toxic substance from tobacco leaves. Later, in 1828, German scientists Posselt and Reimann described the properties of this substance. A colorless, oily liquid, highly soluble in alcohol and water, with a burning taste, was called nicotine. This immortalized the name of the French diplomat Jean Nicot, who used crushed tobacco leaves as a cure for asthma, rheumatism, toothache and headaches. It is believed that with the help of this remedy he cured Queen Catherine de Medici of migraines.
So, from the moment the first drops of pure nicotine, a plant alkaloid contained in tobacco leaves, were obtained, the history of its study, as well as the history of man, began. First of all, its toxicity was proven in experimental animals. Even a leech that has sucked on the blood of a smoker and received a very small dose of nicotine falls off and dies in convulsions under the influence of this substance. But toxicity is not the biggest problem. The scary thing is that nicotine has the ability to cause addiction. It is thanks to this property that nicotine recruits people into a large smoking army.
Nicotine - through the eyes of doctors
An alkaloid of tobacco leaves, nicotine enters the smoker’s body through the lungs. Absorbed in the pulmonary capillaries, it enters the bloodstream and spreads throughout the body. In the central nervous system, in the autonomic nerve ganglia, and in the neuromuscular junctions, there are receptors sensitive to nicotine ( acetylcholinergic receptors). Stimulation of these receptors causes changes in the functioning of all body systems. The heartbeat quickens, blood pressure rises, peripheral vessels narrow, while the vessels of the brain dilate, adrenaline is released into the blood, and the glucose level in the blood increases.
All reactions triggered by the presence of nicotine in the blood require a lot of energy, which is why smoking, even in the absence of proper physical activity, does not allow a person to gain weight.
The high toxicity of nicotine is also not a myth created in order to scare the gullible from smoking. If the nicotine contained in one cigarette is administered to a person intravenously, then death is inevitable. During smoking, the dose of nicotine that enters the body is much less, due to the fact that not all of the smoke enters the lungs, and the part that reaches the lungs is highly diluted. But even an insignificant dose of nicotine is enough for the body to recognize it and begin to react specifically to its presence.
Many argue that the most harmful thing in a cigarette is not nicotine, but tobacco smoke. This is true, but only partly. It is thanks to nicotine that a persistent dependence on a cigarette arises, which keeps the smoker hooked, even if he is aware of all the harm and all the harmfulness of his habit.
Habit or addiction?
Nicotine stimulates the release of adrenaline into the blood, as well as joy hormones - endorphins. As a result, the smoker feels a lift in mood, a surge of vigor, clarity in the head and sudden revitalization, and experiences mild euphoria. But the effect of nicotine is very short-lived. After 20-30 minutes, the concentration of nicotine decreases so much that all the effects caused by the cigarette begin to fade. The brain requires new doping, additional nutrition. This is a kind of conditioned reflex: I liked it, give me more!
The fact that nicotine really causes addiction, akin to a drug, is already a proven fact. But there are 2 sides of this addiction, each of which holds a person in its grip, each of which requires separate methods of treatment.
Physical dependence
A condition in which the body adapts and gets used to the systematic intake of a certain substance, and reacts painfully to its absence, is called physical dependence. Physical dependence gives us every right to add smoking to the list of drug addictions.
The withdrawal syndrome that a smoker experiences when voluntarily or forcedly giving up a cigarette is a clear manifestation of physical dependence. Decreased performance, interruptions in the functioning of the cardiovascular system, headaches, depression - these are manifestations of nicotine withdrawal. But, if the smoker were only physically dependent on nicotine, then quitting smoking would not be so difficult. Overcoming nicotine withdrawal is not that difficult. There are drugs with a nicotine-like effect, a variety of nicotine-containing patches, films, and inhalers. It is harder to break the bonds of mental dependence.
Mental dependence
A habitual pattern of action, formed from repeated repetition of a ritual, is called mental dependence. Someone is used to smoking at the bus stop, while waiting for the bus; someone cannot imagine a friendly conversation without a cigarette; someone definitely needs to smoke in order to cope with a difficult task. Sometimes a smoker’s life is entirely woven from such “cigarette-dependent” fragments. The most difficult thing in treating mental addiction is breaking stereotypes. No medicine will help here, you only need a strong willed decision.
There are many methods that help overcome mental addiction, but without the desire of the smoker, without his firm intention to quit cigarettes, any method is ineffective.
Most smokers are susceptible to two types of addiction. To determine how dependent a person is on a cigarette, you should ask him only 3 simple questions, to which he must give an unambiguous answer: Yes or no.
- Do you smoke about 20 cigarettes a day?
- Do you always smoke in the first half hour after waking up in the morning?
- Does your health worsen during the period of voluntary or forced cessation of cigarettes?
Positive answers to these questions reveal the problem, the treatment of which will require determination and considerable effort. Therefore, it is better to stop exactly when you can answer “no!” to any of these questions.
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