Does Nicotine Affect Your Metabolism?

Nicotine is a substance naturally found within tobacco and other plants. Moreover, it is one of the most used substances across the globe among alcohol and caffeine. The main forms in which nicotine is used include smoking cigarettes and vapes or enjoying a snus and nicotine pouch. But what does this chemical do in your body and how does this affect your metabolism? Within this article this relationship is explored and how this relationship affects other bodily systems like weight loss and appetite.

The Biochemical Effects of Nicotine

Nicotine is naturally found in specific plants and vegetables like potatoes and tomatoes. The more commonly known plant for containing nicotine is tobacco and it is where it is found in its highest concentrations. From this plant, the substance is extracted and used in products like pouches, vapes, and gum. But how does it interact with and affect your body?

• Nicotine interacts with receptors in two places in the body - The brain and adrenal glands.
• It manipulates the dopaminergic system within your brain.
• It causes the secretion of adrenalin from your adrenal glands.

By interacting with these systems nicotine can provide a “feel good” feeling through the upregulation of dopamine release and increase the body’s heart and breathing rate by releasing adrenaline. But what does this have to do with our body’s metabolism?

What’s Metabolism?

Metabolism is a complex process that is affected by many different cellular pathways. It's a process by which the body sustains itself and allows it to function. Not everyone’s is the same it can be low or high and affected by different substances. A simple way of defining metabolism is as follows:

The chemical processes that change food into energy, affect how much energy is used and stored in the human body. These processes include breathing, food digestion, cell, repair and growth, and regulating body temperature.

The molecule that makes a body tick is called Adenosine Triphosphate, or ATP for short. This is harvested by breaking down the carbohydrates, proteins, and fats we eat and drink daily, fueling the above-mentioned processes.

What Do Changes to Metabolism Mean?

The metabolism is the rate at which you turn food into energy, which is the same as burning calories. Those with a slower metabolism will burn fewer calories, meaning the food eaten is more likely to be stored than turned into energy.

Metabolism changes can influence the rate at which weight is gained or lost. However, it is not the only affecting factor and rarely plays a key part in the process unless you have an endocrine disease like hypothyroidism or a metabolic disorder.

What’s the Link?

Studies have shown that nicotine can increase metabolism meaning individuals will burn more calories and have less energy to store. A reason that can be hypothesized is the ability of nicotine to quicken our heart and breathing rates. As our heart beats faster and we breathe more often more calories and energy are required to fuel this action, meaning our metabolism will need to increase to sustain this energy expenditure - posing a possible explanation. How do you think they affect one another?

Does Nicotine Use Correlate with Weight Loss?

So, if nicotine can increase our metabolism, does this correlate with weight loss? In theory, yes it does. However, studies haven’t been able to categorically prove why this happens, although many researchers warrant further exploration because of nicotine's ability to increase our energy expenditure and suppress our appetite. Is the weight loss due to an increased metabolism, fewer calories eaten, or both?

Disclaimer - the extent to which nicotine manipulates an individual's weight will differ and it is not advised to be used for weight loss due to its other effects on the body, including its addictive potential.

Is This Why Some Gain Weight After Stopping Nicotine Use?

To put it simply, yes. Research has shown that when we stop our nicotine consumption, in some cases, many gain weight. Whether this is because our metabolism has decreased, our appetite is no longer suppressed, or the food we eat replaces the rewarding feeling nicotine supplies, is hard to distinguish. But the evidence is there.

It is important to note that every individual is different. Not only will our metabolic rate be different but the way we react to nicotine and how it affects us, if it does, will vary also.

To Conclude

The information above can be summed up in the points below for those short on time, and wanting the take-home message.

• Metabolism is a network of pathways within our body turning what we eat and drink into energy to sustain life.
• It can be fast or slow, affecting the number of calories an individual needs to live.
• Nicotine can increase an individual's metabolism and suppress appetite, in some cases, explaining why some users gain weight when they quit their respective nicotine-containing products.

However, with all that said, the research on this relationship between nicotine and metabolism is limited, and what research there is it is hard to use it as concrete evidence because there are so many variables and individual differences at play.