Nicotine sachets have been a big trend in recent years and awareness of them has been growing among both regularsmokers as well as among people who otherwise do not use tobacco or nicotine products at all. One of the reasons why nicotine sachets are so popular is the common belief thatthat they are much healthier and less harmful than conventional cigarettes or other nicotine-containing products. In this new part of our series on vices, we will therefore take a closer look at nicotine sachets and, in addition to general information, we will also look at how (un)suitable nicotine sachets are for athletes.
What exactly are nicotine sachets?
We have to start with the very basics. What are nicotine sachets and what substances are found in them? First of all, nicotine sachets, unlike cigarettes, do not contain any tobacco. Their composition is actually very simple. They are cellulose sachets in which we find pure nicotine, stabilisers and possibly some flavourings. This means that users of nicotine sachets avoid the carcinogens contained in cigarettes - tar, carbon monoxide, polyaromatic hydrocarbons and so on. It is these substances that are responsible for the myriad negative health effects associated with smoking. On the other hand, nicotine itself is not registered as a carcinogen. However, this does not necessarily mean that it is completely harmless to health. In addition, there are several important factors to consider when using nicotine
Nicotine addiction
Although nicotine is not registered as a carcinogen, it is still one of the main reasons why cigarettes are a common cause of health complications. Nicotine is extremely addictive. Of course, it retains this property in any form - from cigarettes to hookahs to nicotine sachets. What is different in all nicotine products, however, is the content of this addictive substance. The amount of nicotine that the body is able to absorb from each product also varies significantly. While studies have shown that 1.2-1.4 mg of nicotine can be absorbed from conventional cigarettes , nicotine sanicotine, the absorption rate can be as high as half of the nicotine contained, which in practice can mean as much as 10 mg of nicotine.
What does this ultimately mean for nicotine sachet users? First of all, it should be remembered that nicotine sachets can be considerably more addictive than regular cigarettes. The second issue is that all of the negative health effects of nicotine can be compounded by the use of nicotine sachets are much more pronounced because the body absorbs much more nicotine from them.
Does nicotine pose a health risk?
When it comes to the negative health effects of nicotine, we need to start by taking a moment to consider its addictiveness. Nicotine can very easily induce a pleasant feeling of well-being, which means that it stimulates the production of dopamine. However, this, when used over a long period of time, causes the person to need more and moremore and more nicotine to achieve a similar effect, as the brain's response to nicotine intake gradually dulls. Some studies have therefore compared the addictiveness of nicotine to cocaine or even heroin.
In addition,studies show that nicotine has a significant effect of increasing heart rate and negatively affecting the functioning of the cardiovascular system. In addition, other research shows the negative effects of nicotine on the excretory or reproductive system in both men and women. At this point, it should be noted that the studies referred to work with the effects of nicotine on smokers whoin addition to nicotine, smokers take in many carcinogens into their bodies. Although scientists believe that the effects mentioned are caused by nicotine, studies examining the effect of nicotine on non-smokers are still lacking at the moment. Therefore, it cannot be confirmed or ruled out with certainty what health effects nicotine itself may actually have. However, the available studies strongly suggest that nicotine sachets do not have any positive effect on potential sporting performance. As far as health is concerned, the effect of nicotine seems to be more negative.
Nicotine sachets vs. other nicotine products
Naturally, this topic raises the question of whether nicotine sachets are betteror worse than cigarettes, e-cigarettes, hookahs and other nicotine-containing products. However, the answer to this question is a little tricky. Since nicotine sachets do not contain any tobacco and the absorption of nicotine occurs through the lining of the mouth, so there is no need to inhale, it is a fairly gentle option compared to other products. In particular, compared to conventional cigarettes, nicotine sachets are considerably less harmful to health. On the other hand, the amount of nicotine ingested is significantly higher, which has a negative impact on addiction and the adverse health effects of nicotine.
However, we must not forget about the psychological factor. In the case of nicotine sachets, users may not have to consider the psychological aspects of cigarettes, but we should not forget about the psychological aspects of cigarettes. can quickly get the feeling that it is not actually a big deal and that they are not harming their health by using them. At the same time, they can be used almost anytime and anywhere, because the small little pouch between the upper lip and the gums is not noticed by most people. All of this helps to create the perfect conditions for nicotine addiction to develop very quickly. In general terms, therefore, we can say that nicotine sachets are less harmful than cigarettes and similar products, but even in this case, from a health point of view, it is no prize.
What to watch out for when using nicotine sachets?
Finally, we'll look at some hints and tips on how to minimise the negative effects of nicotine if you use nicotine sachets. To start with, if you are not a nicotine bag user, but are tempted by the lure of nicotine.to try them, we cannot recommend their use for purely health reasons. If you are tempted to use nicotine sachets as a way to quit smokingnicotine is the addictive substance that makes cigarettes addictive. Switching to nicotine sachets will get rid of the tar and other carcinogens in cigarettes.in cigarettes, your addiction to nicotine will remain and may even increase. So if you want to get rid of it, avoid nicotine sachets.
If you are already using nicotine sachets and want to minimise their impact on your health, try to use sachets with as little nicotine as possible. The advantage of sachets is that the nicotine content information is usually on the packet, so it hasyou have a good idea of how much nicotine you are actually ingesting when you buy and use them. If you want to use nicotine sachets but also want to reduce your nicotine dependence as much as possible, you should not use the sachets regularly. You should take a break from them once in a while and observe how the absence of nicotine affects you. If such a break is going to be a big problem for you, you will at least have a clear picture of where you stand.
Summary in conclusion
Nicotine sachets are a big trend because they contain no tobacco, which makes their users are not exposed to the high levels of carcinogens present in cigarettes, for example. On the other hand, nicotine sachets contain large amounts of highly addictive nicotine, which can cause addiction very quickly. Although knowledge is still needed to assess the potential negative health effects of nicotinemore reliable studies, it is already clear the health effects of nicotine are more negative than positive. At the same time, there is no evidence that it has any positive effect on sports performance.
For today's article, that's all from us. However, if you have any questions, feel free to contact us in the comments below the article.
Why can you trust us?
Sport has been my lifelong passion, I have been close to it since I was a child. For a long time I was primarily involved in athletics, which also eventually led me to the gym. Every good sprinter knows that to get one tenth of a start, he must therefore sacrifice hundreds of hours in training. And it was this toil behind the curtain, which no one sees, that was my greatest passion.
Every kilo in the gym helped me to move a little closer to my goal and I fell in love with the gym very quickly. Even though I don't race anymore, nothing has changed in my relationship with uncompromising training.