Multiple influencers who are supporters of Robert F Kennedy Jr’s Make America Healthy Again movement are pushing a new and somewhat surprising health hack to their followers – nicotine.
The influencers claim that products such as patches, gums and pouches utilize the “natural” product and that it has been unfairly condemned by the medical establishment,
Nicotine pouches entered the U.S. market in 2016, and scientists are still learning about the short and long-term effects of the products, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“There are no safe tobacco products, including nicotine pouches. This is particularly true for youth, young adults, and women who are pregnant,” the CDC website states.
“Youth, young adults, and women who are pregnant should not use nicotine pouches. People who do not currently use tobacco products, including nicotine pouches, should not start.”
The center notes that nicotine can harm brain development, which continues up until the age of 25, as well as increasing the risk for young people of future addiction to other drugs. Symptoms of addiction can start “quickly” even if the person has not used nicotine products previously.
“Nicotine can also increase blood pressure and heart rate, which could, over time, raise the risk of heart disease; the compound may also harden the walls of arteries in the heart, which can lead to heart attacks. Nicotine can also exacerbate existing heart conditions, according to the CDC.
This has not deterred the MAHA influencers, who argue that nicotine has been vilified in a similar way to peptides, raw milk and beef tallow – which has been promoted by Kennedy. The U.S. Health Secretary himself has been pictured carrying around a tin of nicotine pouches, and has said previously that such pouches are “probably” the safest way to consume nicotine.
The Independent has contacted the Department of Health and Human Services for comment.
Dave Asprey, a “biohacking influencer” who boasts over 1.3 million followers on social media, has claimed nicotine can increase cognitive function, reverse Alzheimer’s disease and help you live longer, according to The New York Times.
Celebrity fitness guru and former trainer on TV show The Biggest Loser, Jillian Michaels, has pushed the benefits of nicotine on her podcast – including claiming she uses low doses of the substance to protect against Parkinson’s and combat her own ADHD.
“Nicotine, unto itself, is not toxic. It’s beneficial,” Michaels said, though he acknowledged that people should consult doctors before using it.
Even former Fox News show host Tucker Carlson, who is a vocal advocate of the MAHA movement, has promoted nicotine as a positive product, releasing his own brand of nicotine pouches named ALP. Carlson has previously referred to ZYN-branded pouches as “lifesaving.”
Medical experts are united in their condemnation of such promotions.
“If there really was a health benefit for nicotine, then the medical community would be recommending it to their patients,” Doctor Adam Leventhal, director of the Institute for Addiction Science at the University of Southern California, told The New York Times.
“And what’s happening is the opposite.”
