Nicotine

By Adam Valentine

Today’s competitive market in the sport of bodybuilding is constantly being flooded with innovative supplements and drugs which seem to give competitors the upper hand. One of these seemingly unnoticeable substances is nicotine. We all know the gist when it comes to nicotine, but to what do we attribute its effects on the body? Are they good or bad? This article will address these questionable notions and hopefully give some insight to future considerations involving nicotine.

Effects

Nicotine is an organic alkaloid which is found more notably in the tobacco plant in quantities of around 5% of the plant’s dry weight. Although a poison in higher quantities, it acts as a pleasure stimulant in lower concentrations (smoking, dipping, and chewing). In fact, one single cigarette contains approximately 0.8-1.0mg of nicotine.

The effects of nicotine are seen in our adrenaline system. The nicotine has been shown to impact hormone levels such as dopamine, which are largely responsible for emotional satisfaction and feelings of well being. This eventually can cause dependence and symptoms of withdrawal, which is harmful enough to one’s health. As a result, chronic tobacco users are generally the ones associated with irritability and violent mood swings. Other side effects such as headaches, nausea, elevated blood pressure, and increased heart rate all result from nicotine usage. So the real question now is that whether or not nicotine supplementation can impact one’s ability to reduce body fat? One would suppose that they could actually aid in the dieting process being that nicotine speeds up heart rate, considering it has a direct relationship with the metabolism.

The benefits

The stimulant we associate with bad health actually has been proven to offer some physiologic advantages. Nicotine increases thermogenesis (heat production), which is related closely to our metabolic rate. In this complicated process, the body basically has to work twice as hard to produce energy (ATP), which is why it heats up and raises our metabolic rate. This increase in metabolism may suggest that nicotine will actually increase one’s ability to burn fat at a faster rate while remaining motionless. Think about how much time the average bodybuilder spends on the treadmill? Wouldn’t it make sense to risk having poor health if you were guaranteed a certain drop in body fat by simply smoking? Unfortunately, I’m not going to give the consent on this one folks, although I will admit that there are various forms of nicotine that don’t include cancer causing tobacco (nicorrete gum is a popular choice to many who can attain the benefits of it, while reducing their chance of cancer causing carcinogens found in tobacco).

Nicotine has been rumored to impact insulin response as well. The dosage is very dependent on the individual, but a reduction in insulin secretion would explain the ability to use fat as a fuel source instead sugars. Be aware that high doses of nicotine do reduce one’s appetite, which is why it is so popular to many bodybuilders. The theory suggests that if you could smoke as you are dieting; it would suppress that thought of hunger. On the flip side, those who stop cold turkey may be victim to sudden weight gain, which is not necessarily good for insulin resistance. To add, nicotine can decrease the process of lypolysis (fat storage), which is why majority of people who were decently lean when they started smoking will stay lean with the absence of exercise.

Does nicotine impact performance?

So far, nicotine has been winning this article’s battle on the positives vs. negatives, but that has not included the effect it has on performance related hormones. According to a recent study by the Harvard School of Public Health, smoking can increase almost all the major androgenic hormones including DHEA, androstenedione, testosterone, and dihydrotestosterone (DHT); all potent androgens that impact muscle growth. The study, which examined a cross-section of 1,241 randomly sampled middle-aged U.S. men, compared hormonal levels of nonsmokers and smokers. According to the data, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) was 18% higher in smokers, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) was 13% higher in smokers, androstenedione was 33% higher in smokers, testosterone was 9% higher in smokers, and DHT was 13% higher in smokers. Much to a surprise, these results were conclusive. Whether or not the individuals were successful in the gym or not, it might be important to know that DHT is primarily responsible for early hair loss. It may seem beneficial to associate elevated horm one levels, but at what expense?

My conclusion is that nicotine does have some pro’s and cons. The negatives in any situation should always be considered before overriding the positives. Remember that nicotine can still be present among non-tobacco substances, which in my opinion, would seem to be the best alternative if one HAD to do it. Aside from this lucid thought, the idea of dependence and loss of natural serotonin levels isn’t that enticing to me.