Nicotine is what? The effect of nicotine on the body

Smoking in our time has become a big problem. Everyone knows that it is harmful, nevertheless, many continue to smoke. Nicotine, contained in cigarettes, even in small doses has a harmful effect on the body. The problem is that not everyone understands what nicotine is and how it affects human health. Let's figure this out!

general characteristics

So nicotine is an alkaloid that is found in the plants of the Solanaceae family. The greatest amount of this substance is observed in tobacco, but there are also 66 crops, which contain it to a lesser extent. In small quantities, nicotine is 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 takes place 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 very quickly darkens when exposed to air. At a temperature of 60-210 ° C, nicotine partially dissolves in water. And at temperatures below 60 and above 210 ° C it mixes well with water.

The name "Nicotine" appeared in honor of Jean Nicotas, who was the ambassador of France in the Portuguese court. In 1560, as a remedy for migraine, he sent a little tobacco to Queen Catherine de Medici. In addition to migraine, they treated rheumatism, asthma, toothache and wounds.

Nicotine and humanity

Since time immemorial, people have been smoking. The world history of tobacco has more than a thousand years. In Russia, for example, tobacco appeared only under Ivan the Terrible. The active struggle with nicotine addiction began only at the end of the last century. And while that unhealthy way of life wins, taking more and more people. A huge army of smokers brings profit to tobacco companies. And even despite all the measures that are taken in health organizations, in most countries, tobacco remains the most common and accessible drug.

The use of nicotine

Nicotine is used in three ways: smoking, chewing and inhaling tobacco. The substance has a property quickly absorbed through the mucous membranes of the mouth, the food canal and the lungs. In addition, nicotine can enter the body through the skin, even intact. Once in the body, the substance is very quickly spread by blood. After 7 seconds after inhaling the tobacco smoke, it enters the brain. Nicotine is released to some extent from the body for at least two hours. In general, only a small fraction of the nicotine contained in tobacco leaves is inhaled when smoking. The fact is that most of the substance burns. The amount of poison adsorbed during smoking depends on the type of tobacco and the presence of a cigarette filter. When chewing or sniffing special tobacco in the body gets much more nicotine.

Effects

Once in the body, the substance has an effect on acetylcholine receptors. In small concentrations, it activates receptor activity. This leads to an increase in the level of the hormone adrenaline in the blood. The release of adrenaline accelerates the heartbeat, increases blood pressure, increases respiration and increases blood glucose levels.

On the question of whether or not nicotine is harmful, the answer is simple: certainly harmful. Although in our time hardly anyone will doubt it. In general, nicotine is a real poison. It strongly affects both the central and peripheral nervous system. Particularly strongly the substance acts on the ganglia of the autonomic nervous system. In this regard, he is referred to the class of so-called ganglinic poisons. Large doses of nicotine, which enter the body, depress and paralyze the nervous system, and stop breathing, which soon leads to cardiac arrest. The lethal dose for humans is on average 0.5-1 mg / kg.

Despite the strong toxicity, in small doses, nicotine acts as a psychostimulant. On the mood, it affects differently on different people. By causing the release of adrenaline and glucose, the poison causes excitation of the whole organism. From a subjective point of view, this brings a sense of relaxation, appeasement, and a slightly euphoric state. Some smokers experience a decrease in appetite and an increase in metabolic rate, which can lead to weight loss.

By using nicotine multiple times, a person becomes physically and psychologically dependent on him and returns to him all the time. Nicotine with prolonged use causes the development of such problems as visual impairment, stomach and bowel damage, arterial hypertension, hyperglycemia, tachycardia, atherosclerosis, arrhythmia, ischemic heart disease, angina pectoris, myocardial infarction and heart failure. Along with resins, nicotine can contribute to the development of lung cancer. And those men who smoke for many years, face impotence.

Effects and signs of consumption

The first techniques of nicotine cause nausea and vomiting. If you continue to smoke, adaptation will begin, and these reflexes will disappear. Perhaps a little excitement of the whole organism. As a rule, there is a relaxation of skeletal muscles and tremors of the hands. The smoker's reaction time decreases, but attention and short-term memory improve. In addition, when smoking, anxiety disappears and appetite worsens. However, all positive processes quickly change to the opposite, when the concentration of matter in the body drops.

Poisoning with nicotine is expressed by such symptoms: nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, drooling, increased heart rate and blood pressure, confusion, decreased vitality, general weakness.

Poisoning with nicotine is rare. As a rule, children are poisoned, who try to smoke as much as adults. The help with poisoning is simple: to open access of fresh air, to protect the respiratory tract from vomit, to wash your face with cold water. In case of poisoning, you need to worry about the patency of the airways and prevent biting of the tongue.

External signs of smoking - the smell of tobacco from the mouth and hands, as well as yellowed from the filter fingers.

Sad statistics

The bulk of smokers doubt that tobacco smoke has a bad effect on the body, arguing that their condition is not supposed to worsen when smoking. However, statistics more than eloquently proves the opposite. Every 10 seconds in the world one person dies from smoking. To date, according to statistics, over a year, tobacco kills about three million people around the planet. In the future, according to all forecasts, this figure will increase to 10 million. There are skeptics who say that, compared to the entire population of the earth (about 6 billion), 10 million is a small figure. But for smokers, each of whom runs the risk of getting into these 10 million, this is a significant risk. If such a trend persists, in the end, tobacco will kill about 500 million people now living. And this is already 9% of the total population of the Earth. Since 1950, smoking killed 62 million people - more than killed during the Second World War. It is proved that tobacco causes 6% of all deaths and about 3% of all diseases. Moreover, the sad figures are growing every day, and by 2020, it is predicted that 12% of deaths worldwide.

Where nicotine is used

Nicotine is a very strong neurotoxin, which has a harmful effect on insects. Therefore, before it was actively used as an insecticide. Today, nicotine derivatives, for example imidacloprid, are used for this purpose. The American Heart Association concluded that dependence on smoking today can be considered one of the most problematic, as getting rid of it is not easy. I wonder what people would think about insects when they learned that people voluntarily use the poison they poison.

The Benefits of Nicotine

All scientific communities, without exception, argue that nicotine is a most dangerous toxin and drug. Nevertheless, it is no secret that many vegetable alkaloids, including drugs, are used as medications. So, maybe, and from nicotine is good?

Today, a lot of funds are produced, designed to replace cigarettes and as a result to give up nicotine completely. Among them, we can identify patches, chewing gum, and so on. These drugs contain the same nicotine as in cigarettes, but in a smaller amount. A number of states are working on a way to use this alkaloid as a means to treat and prevent diseases such as attention deficit disorder, Alzheimer's disease, shingles, Parkinson's disease and ulcerative bowel disease. Therefore, it is possible that in the near future from nicotine will be at least some good. After all, as they say, everything is poison and medicine, and only the dose is the determining factor.

E-cigarettes

Now it is fashionable as an alternative to smoking to use so-called electronic cigarettes. They are a small inhaler in which the liquid with nicotine is heated and evaporated. The purpose of such cigarettes consists, first, in the use of purified nicotine (in liquid, diluted form) and, secondly, in the gradual withdrawal from smoking. The liquid for cigarettes can be made at home, it consists of several ingredients, one of which is the so-called nicotine "weaving" - a concentrated solution of the substance. It is mixed with flavors and water. The concentration of the poison can vary by the smoker himself, and you can gradually switch to a liquid for cigarettes without nicotine.

Many will ask: "Why should she smoke?" The fact is that smoking is not only a dependence on nicotine, but also a habit of occupying something. Therefore, those who can not throw this muck just like that, you can do it smoothly, replacing a simple electronic cigarette.

Conclusion

So, we once again became convinced that smoking causes irreparable harm. But in addition to nicotine in cigarettes is still a lot of harmful substances. Therefore, it is better to learn how to please yourself with other things and depend on something more pleasant, for example, from love, as in the song "Former Nicotine." We wish you good health!