Posted on 06/12/2011 12:02:11 AM PDT by neverdem
Craving an afternoon snack? Take a drag on a cigarette, and your hunger will likely disappear. Smoking is the number one cause of preventable deaths in the Unites States and other developed countries, causing lung cancer, heart disease, and chronic bronchitis. But smokers are, on average, skinnier than nonsmokers. New research reveals how nicotine, the active ingredient in cigarettes, works in the brain to suppress smokers' appetites. The finding also pinpoints a new drug target for nicotine withdrawal—and weight loss.
The nicotine receptor in the brain has 15 subunits; they can combine in a multitude of ways to form different receptors with different jobs. Nicotine can bind to each combination and spur a cascade of distinct events; some lead to the addictive properties of cigarettes, others to an increase in blood pressure or a feeling of relaxation. It's long been known that nicotine causes a slump in appetite, and scientists suspected that this worked through receptors associated with reward and behavior reinforcement. After all, the brain considers both cigarettes and food to be rewards. But the new finding suggests that appetite has its own pathway.
Behavioral neuroscientist Marina Picciotto of Yale University set out to study whether activating one particular nicotine receptor, dubbed α3β4, had antidepressant effects on mice. But as postdoctoral researcher Yann Mineur was caring for the mice, which had received drugs engineered to stimulate only α3β4 receptors, he noticed a side effect: the mice were eating less.
"Before this study, we really didn't think that this type of receptor would have such a big role in the brain in food intake," Picciotto says. She and Mineur went on to show that nicotine does, in fact, bind to α3β4 receptors, which then send a signal throughout the rest of the brain, signaling satiety. It's indistinguishable from the signal the brain propagates after eating a large meal. Mice that received the drug binding to the α3β4 receptor ate half the amount of food as untreated mice in the 2 hours following administration of the drug. Their body fat dropped 15% to 20% over 30 days, the team reports online today in Science.
Since the weight gain that comes with stopping smoking is often one deterrent for smokers to quit, Picciotto suggests that the new pathway could be targeted by pharmaceuticals to suppress appetite during the initial stages of smoking cessation. In addition, such a drug could have wider reach as an appetite suppressant to aid in weight loss, without the health hazards tied to cigarette smoke.
Neil Grunberg, a behavioral neuroscientist at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland, was the first to prove, through rat studies in 1982, that nicotine causes a decrease in appetite. He says the new study is a step forward in understanding the phenomenon he first observed.
"Most people had accepted that the decrease in appetite was caused through a dopamine-reward pathway and left it at that," Grunberg says. "So I think the most important contribution of this paper is to prove that there is another whole pathway that nicotine is working through."
Grunberg notes, however, that the study looks only at male mice. In his previous work, he has found differences in the effects of nicotine on weight between males and females. Females, he says, experience larger weight loss when they start smoking and a larger weight gain if they quit. Whether this means nicotine is working through an additional, hormone-regulated pathway in the female brain is yet to be determined.
Picciotto says her group is repeating the experiments on female mice. "We're also still trying to get back to that original question we had," she says: "Does this also have antidepressant actions?"
•Giving up cigarettes and other forms of nicotine has a wide range of negative effects such as working memory, attention, and the ability to control or inhibit ones’ responses. However, these effect typically subside when one resumes original smoking behaviors. As a result, based on the negative side effects due to decreased cognitive function, quitting smoking can result in a number of disadvantages with regards to brain function.
Absolutely! Its like the alcoholic. Formers smokers know how hard it is to quit. Most had probably tried to quit over many years. One might quit for a week or two or even a month and then go back to it. Often smoking more than before.
Now, to be fair, I know nothing about the eCigs and it seems they are a successful way to eventually quit. But once done, one must be DONE!
I would be concerned about other effects of the nicotine. Its a stimulant. Those that have to watch their caffeine should probably treat nicotine the same way.
I guess I am too old school and my fear, which I have been quite honest about, is that the distance between eCig and rCig (Real — get it?) is too short.
I totally understand. Its the inhaling. There aren't any long term studies to show the effects of nicotine addiction through vaping. Its still an addiction and why would anyone that has managed to quit smoking and saved all that money want to turn around and get re-addicted to nicotine and its costs? That's just insane imo.
But if it works as a quitting mechanism (I used Nicotrol inhalers like a crazy man (+Xyban) for a few months!) then all the best to all! But quitting AGAIN??? *shudder* I just don’t think I could do it! It is THAT thought that keeps my fingers in check.
Anything to quit and then stay far far away from its relatives, be it cigars, chew, gum or vapors.
I used One Step to quit. It took a long time, but I think what made it successful was that by reducing the tars and nicotine over time, the body didn't 'need' it when I w as finally ready to stop. Often what would doom my attempts was at about day 9 would be a strong anxiety/need. I also knew from past experience that often a good case of bronchitis would give me a day where the chest hurts so much that you really didn't want to smoke. I waited for that 'day' and did it, quit. And I never had that 'anxiety' time. I attribute that to having removed enough of the addictive tars and nicotine from my system that I was finally able to quit.
I took the money I saved and for the first year sent over 300 care packages to the troops.
Think about it - they are taxing my brain...
I've known smoker's of all shapes and sizes. Having said that though, some smokers have additional addictions. So maybe that is the difference. I've known skinny smokers, but the ones that come to mind were also alcoholics. So, maybe the combination kept them skinny.
Smoking is the number one cause of preventable deaths in the Unites States...
I believe this is wrong. Pretty sure I heard that obesity and it’s complications have surpassed smoking by a significant amount.
I think it's more than hunger. I was always skinny and I didn't eat anymore when I quit smoking, but I gained 10 pounds anyway.
My digestive system seemed to almost stop working when I quit. I had to start taking laxatives daily, and then ween myself off of those too.
It took almost a year before my digestive system seemed to kick back in, and then weight came right off too.
e-cigarettes - I get them with the zero nicotine cartriges - helps when you just have to take a puff of something!! Some e-cig brands are better than others ... got mine in a smoke shop and not on the internet. Glad I have it, hope this helps.
I’ve read it explained that some people diet themselves fat. By taking in too few calories the body thinks there is a drought or famine and food isn’t available so it stores as much as it can of what is eaten as fat to help the person get through the famine/drought.
To prevent this you have to take in a certain amount of calories. I don’t recall the exact numbers but think it was 1200 for women and 2000 for men. There are always exceptions though.
That is it....I have to work at it
after thyroid issues and then zapping my overactive thyroid...now I take Levoxyl...I have to eat less
anyone older does unless extrememly active
keeping a reasonable bodyweight is lifestyle and discipline
go to France..very few heavy gallic women
when I grew up...very few fat women period...today, it’s at least a third of the population
I believe this is wrong. Pretty sure I heard that obesity and it’s complications have surpassed smoking by a significant amount.
I think that they mean that in the sense that smoking starts as a choice, even if it becomes an addiction. Obviously, not eating is incompatible with life.
well done...we all get mad here...me too but instead of hardcore cursing I just rail on and on
tobacco is great...shame it can kill ya
but if I get a death notice and feel up to it...I’m starting back
Marlboro Reds
or Luckys or Picayunes as a special treat...
man...ciggies and nice doses of Morphine...that sounds better than stoicism
What I’ve noticed is that a lot of women don’t know or don’t care how they dress anymore. Nowadays women squeeze themselves into stretchy jeans that are too small creating a roll above the waist then wear a stretchy tank top that is too small and the whole look is awful, yet they don’t seem to notice or care. Those skin tight stretchy jeans look terrible on most people.
They wear pajama bottoms to school and to stores and restaurants and look ridiculous, but don’t care. I’ve seen women in grocery stores wearing the big pink furry slippers!
Between the guys with their pants riding below their buttocks and the women dressed as above, our nation is quickly becoming a bunch of slobs and that includes the skinny slobs, too. jmo
It is vaping. Somehow the e got in there to spell vapeing.
I actually used ecigs to quit cigars this time around. When I quit cigarettes, I used the patch. With the patch, I simply followed the recommended schedule and stepped down to no patch over a course of 8 weeks or so.
With the e-cigs, I started with heavy nicotine juice. Used that for about a month. Stepped down to light juice, and then finally nicotine free juice. The juice with no nicotine is no fun at all, so I had a choice of either stepping back up to nicotine juice, or discontinuing use of ecig and just making it on my own the rest of the way.
It made no sense to me to pick up a new habit, albiet one that is safer than smoking, so I quit ecigs at that point. That was like 5 months ago or so. Now I chew on toothpicks.
Just saw this. My two cents is if you think it might lead you back down the path, then don't do it. If you've already quit, there is no need to pick up another habit. And trust me, nicotine free ecigs are not fun. If you've kicked smoking and nicotine addiction, just hang tough!
There is also the fact that within a year of stopping cigarette smoking the thyroid slows its functioning.
You are such a Southern gentleman.
Do you know how much I appreciate that about you?
I will weigh in, maybe I am a skinny smoker. I must jump around to cast a shadow. Have been thin all my life, as a smoker and a non smoker. I have been both many times.
Genetics maybe, life stye more likely.
I have worked at desk, in the field furniture mover (activity heavy lifting(, IT field work(installing) IT help desk long hours lot of stress.
As another poster mentioned, alcohol cigarettes and coffee go along way to suppressing appetite.
However I dislike donuts, I will consume maybe once a year.
I had no idea that death was ‘preventable’
Good catch, esoxmagnum ... more sloppy writing by some liberal elite... They should take a lesson or two from Palin's email - get the facts right...
OK, I'll bite. What are the top two?
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