Nicotine Is Mounting a Comeback in the Wellness Movement
Nicotine Is Mounting a Comeback in the Wellness Movement
尼古丁正在健康运动中卷土重来
An ironic development emerging alongside the “Make America Healthy Again” movement is the portrayal of nicotine as a wellness and performance-enhancing product. Across social media, podcasts, natural medicine communities and tech startups, prominent wellness personalities and other influencers are portraying nicotine as a misunderstood compound whose potential benefits have been overshadowed by its negative association with cigarettes.
随着“让美国再次健康”（Make America Healthy Again）运动的兴起，一个讽刺的现象随之出现：尼古丁被描绘成一种健康和提升表现的产品。在社交媒体、播客、自然医学社区和科技初创公司中，知名的健康人士和其他网红正在将尼古丁描述为一种被误解的化合物，认为其潜在益处因与香烟的负面关联而被掩盖了。
In these circles, nicotine is now being hailed as a natural product that can be used for everything from improving focus to protecting against cognitive decline. As a pulmonary physician-scientist who studies nicotine addiction and the health consequences of tobacco and nicotine products, I am concerned about these claims.
在这些圈子里，尼古丁现在被誉为一种天然产品，其用途涵盖了从提高专注力到预防认知能力下降的方方面面。作为一名研究尼古丁成瘾以及烟草和尼古丁产品健康后果的肺科医生兼科学家，我对这些说法感到担忧。
Some of this rebranding stems from the observation that nicotine is a naturally occurring plant compound found primarily in tobacco and in nightshade vegetables such as tomatoes, potatoes and eggplant in trace amounts. Proponents of nicotine use also draw on studies suggesting that nicotine can affect certain aspects of cognition and brain function. However, extending these findings to broad claims about productivity, brain health, longevity or wellness goes well beyond what has been shown in human studies.
这种品牌重塑的部分原因在于人们观察到，尼古丁是一种天然存在的植物化合物，主要存在于烟草中，在番茄、土豆和茄子等茄科蔬菜中也有微量存在。尼古丁的使用者还引用了一些研究，表明尼古丁可以影响认知和大脑功能的某些方面。然而，将这些发现延伸到关于生产力、大脑健康、长寿或健康的广泛主张，已经远远超出了人体研究已证实的范围。
The greatest health risks arise when tobacco is burned, which generates thousands of toxic substances, including carcinogens, carbon monoxide, and fine particulate matter. Repeated exposure to these combustion products can cause cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cardiovascular disease, and numerous other smoking-related illnesses.
最大的健康风险源于烟草燃烧，这会产生数千种有毒物质，包括致癌物、一氧化碳和细颗粒物。反复接触这些燃烧产物会导致癌症、慢性阻塞性肺病、心血管疾病以及许多其他与吸烟相关的疾病。
Nicotine’s comeback as a wellness product is more about non-smoking options, such as nicotine pouches, or some combine nicotine with other substances marketed as cognition enhancers, like caffeine and nootropics. While many smoking-related diseases result from the chemical products of combustion, nicotine itself has well-known negative effects on the brain and body.
尼古丁作为健康产品的回归，更多是指非吸烟类选择，例如尼古丁袋，或者将尼古丁与其他被营销为认知增强剂的物质（如咖啡因和促智药）结合使用。虽然许多与吸烟相关的疾病是由燃烧产生的化学产物引起的，但尼古丁本身对大脑和身体也有众所周知的负面影响。
Nicotine activates the sympathetic nervous system—the body’s “fight or flight” response—which increases heart rate and blood pressure and disrupts sleep. Repeatedly kick-starting this system can place additional strain on the heart. Exposure is also of particular concern during critical phases of development.
尼古丁会激活交感神经系统——即人体的“战斗或逃跑”反应——这会增加心率和血压，并扰乱睡眠。反复启动该系统会给心脏带来额外的压力。在发育的关键阶段，接触尼古丁尤其令人担忧。
Not to mention the extremely well-known risk that nicotine is addictive. It activates reward pathways in the brain, acting on receptors for acetylcholine, a key neurotransmitter involved in attention, learning, and memory. Though it may temporarily increase alertness and attention, nicotine does not reproduce normal acetylcholine signaling. The effects last much longer and alter activity throughout the brain.
更不用说尼古丁具有成瘾性这一众所周知的风险。它会激活大脑中的奖励通路，作用于乙酰胆碱受体，而乙酰胆碱是一种参与注意力、学习和记忆的关键神经递质。虽然尼古丁可能会暂时提高警觉性和注意力，但它并不能复制正常的乙酰胆碱信号传导。其影响持续时间更长，并会改变整个大脑的活动。
With repeated exposure, the brain adapts to nicotine’s presence. Receptors become less responsive, and so the brain compensates by increasing the number of nicotine receptors, contributing to dependence. Activation of these receptors also influences the release of other neurotransmitters, including dopamine, which plays an important role in reward and reinforcement.
随着反复接触，大脑会适应尼古丁的存在。受体变得不那么敏感，因此大脑通过增加尼古丁受体的数量来进行补偿，从而导致依赖。这些受体的激活还会影响其他神经递质的释放，包括在奖励和强化中起重要作用的多巴胺。
A common claim within wellness communities is that nicotine is a cognitive enhancer that improves focus and productivity. While there are some studies indicating that nicotine may temporarily enhance attention, vigilance, reaction time, and some types of memory, the results are mixed.
健康社区中一个常见的说法是，尼古丁是一种能提高专注力和生产力的认知增强剂。虽然有一些研究表明尼古丁可能会暂时增强注意力、警觉性、反应时间和某些类型的记忆力，但结果并不一致。
If any benefit does exist, the research suggests that this may only be the case for people with mild cognitive impairment. For healthy individuals, it doesn’t appear to offer any boost and may even worsen cognitive operation among higher-performing people.
如果确实存在任何益处，研究表明这可能仅适用于轻度认知障碍患者。对于健康个体而言，它似乎并不能提供任何提升，甚至可能使高表现人群的认知运作能力恶化。
In addition, many of these studies include people already dependent on nicotine. When these regular users stop consuming nicotine, they’re likely to experience irritability, anxiety, restlessness, and impaired attention. Reintroducing nicotine often relieves these symptoms, making it difficult to determine whether any improvements reflect true cognitive enhancement or are simply the reversal of withdrawal symptoms.
此外，许多此类研究的对象包括已经对尼古丁产生依赖的人。当这些长期使用者停止摄入尼古丁时，他们很可能会出现易怒、焦虑、烦躁和注意力受损等症状。重新摄入尼古丁通常会缓解这些症状，这使得人们很难判断所谓的改善究竟是真正的认知增强，还是仅仅是戒断症状的消除。
Wellness influencers also promote nicotine as a tool for managing stress and improving mood. Nicotine does activate reward pathways in the brain, which can create a sense of pleasure and wellbeing—temporarily.
健康网红们还宣传尼古丁是管理压力和改善情绪的工具。尼古丁确实会激活大脑中的奖励通路，这可以暂时产生一种愉悦和幸福感。
Long-term users of nicotine often find that the substance makes stress and anxiety harder to manage. Research consistently shows that people who quit smoking experience reductions in anxiety, depression, and stress, along with improvements in mood and overall quality of life over time. In fact, long-term discontinuation of nicotine use is associated with better mental health.
长期使用尼古丁的人往往发现，这种物质反而使压力和焦虑更难控制。研究一致表明，戒烟者随着时间的推移，焦虑、抑郁和压力会减轻，情绪和整体生活质量也会得到改善。事实上，长期停止使用尼古丁与更好的心理健康状况相关。
But the most ambitious claims emerging from the pro-nicotine wellness movement suggest that nicotine protects against Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, and other forms age-related cognitive decline. Or further, that nicotine slows biological aging and promotes longevity.
但支持尼古丁的健康运动中出现的最宏大的主张认为，尼古丁可以预防帕金森病、阿尔茨海默病和其他形式的与年龄相关的认知能力下降。甚至进一步声称，尼古丁可以减缓生物衰老并促进长寿。
There’s some kernels of research underneath these claims, such as laboratory studies showing that nicotine can affect cellular pathways related to oxidative stress and animal studies suggesting effects on inflammation and other mechanisms linked to aging and disease. However, such findings have not translated into anything that indicates nicotine promotes healthy aging, extends lifespan or prevents age-related disease in humans.
这些主张背后确实有一些研究基础，例如实验室研究显示尼古丁可以影响与氧化应激相关的细胞通路，动物研究也表明其对炎症及其他与衰老和疾病相关的机制有影响。然而，这些发现尚未转化为任何能够证明尼古丁在人体中能促进健康衰老、延长寿命或预防与年龄相关疾病的证据。