I believe there are downsides only if you are drinking too much caffeine or if it is in conflict with one of your medications or existing health conditions, afaik.
Healthline weighs the pros and very few cons of caffeine.
Nicotine is one of the most toxic of all poisons and has a rapid onset of action. Apart from local actions, the target organs are the peripheral and central nervous systems. In severe poisoning, there are tremors, prostration, cyanosis, dypnoea, convulsion, progression to collapse and coma. Even death may occur from paralysis of respiratory muscles and/or central respiratory failure with a LD50 in adults of around 30-60 mg of nicotine. In children the LD50 is around 10 mg.
The LD50 of caffine is over 100 mg per kg. That’s not just a dosage difference, either. Nicotine gum comes in 2-6 mg doses - chewing 5 pieces of extra-strength gum can bring you up to the LD50.
Drinking 5 celsius drinks - one of the strongest (and most maliciously marketed) energy drinks - at 200mg per can doesn’t bring you even close to the LD50 of caffeine.
Nicotine is:
More toxic
More carcinogenic
More addictive
AND the addiction is heritable.
This in turn reinforces the addiction by inducing craving. This effect has been shown to affect the CYP2A6 gene and leads to heritable dependence to nicotine. Studies have shown the nicotine dependence to be transmitted maternally and grand maternally by epigenetic mechanism.
You can be genetically susceptible to nicotine addiction because your grandmother smoked cigarrettes. Not because she herself was genetically susceptible - no, literally just because she smoked. And the same effect would occur if your grandmother only used tobacco-free nicotine products.
Congrats kids, welcome to the new generation of Big Tobacco influencing society to think it’s okay. History sure does rhyme.
this is my impression as well regarding nicotine. however, i have noticed people are not interested in examining that and continue to conflate nicotine with cigarettes (high risk) and vaping (misconstrued risk).
i also believe many view a nicotine addiction through a sort of moral lens they don’t apply so readily to caffeine.
It’s generational trauma regarding smoking. The last couple generations were pretty moved by the discoveries regarding smoking and now overreact. Attitude is much more rational in gen z
Nicotine in pretty much any amount is cardiotoxic, caffeine (in moderate amounts) is pretty much neutral afaik. They both may or may not be carcinogens depending on the study. Thats pretty much it I think
Nicotine is a mild simulant, yes. All of those things are frequently used by people to “self-medicate”, but the downsides are obviously pretty steep.
And most self medication options are pretty bad at the medicating part.
Wait whats the downside to caffeinated drinks?
I believe there are downsides only if you are drinking too much caffeine or if it is in conflict with one of your medications or existing health conditions, afaik.
Healthline weighs the pros and very few cons of caffeine.
Oh ok. Phew.
I was under the impression nicotine was on a similar risk profile to caffeine. Are you referring to the tobacco plant in general?
Nicotine is worse.
The LD50 of caffine is over 100 mg per kg. That’s not just a dosage difference, either. Nicotine gum comes in 2-6 mg doses - chewing 5 pieces of extra-strength gum can bring you up to the LD50.
Drinking 5 celsius drinks - one of the strongest (and most maliciously marketed) energy drinks - at 200mg per can doesn’t bring you even close to the LD50 of caffeine.
Nicotine is:
You can be genetically susceptible to nicotine addiction because your grandmother smoked cigarrettes. Not because she herself was genetically susceptible - no, literally just because she smoked. And the same effect would occur if your grandmother only used tobacco-free nicotine products.
Congrats kids, welcome to the new generation of Big Tobacco influencing society to think it’s okay. History sure does rhyme.
this is my impression as well regarding nicotine. however, i have noticed people are not interested in examining that and continue to conflate nicotine with cigarettes (high risk) and vaping (misconstrued risk).
i also believe many view a nicotine addiction through a sort of moral lens they don’t apply so readily to caffeine.
It’s generational trauma regarding smoking. The last couple generations were pretty moved by the discoveries regarding smoking and now overreact. Attitude is much more rational in gen z
Can’t believe I’m seeing this level of rationality on this community.
Nicotine in pretty much any amount is cardiotoxic, caffeine (in moderate amounts) is pretty much neutral afaik. They both may or may not be carcinogens depending on the study. Thats pretty much it I think