Experts in France reveal nicotine could prevent coronavirus

Disclaimer: Firstly, before we dive into this article, it’s important to understand that nicotine and repeated substances are not cures or aids for preventing, curing or relieving any health conditions. This article is purely intended as coverage of recent studies in France around nicotine and coronavirus, and not as official medical advice.

French researchers have discovered new information that could show patients who test positive for COVID-19, and who smoked prior to contracting the respiratory illness, could be better protected from the virus than non-smokers.

However, they warn that smoking can still aggravate symptoms for those who do contract the illness. So how does this all work?

The research: let’s break it down

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold, determining the identification of factors leading to the disease remains a challenge on a global scale.

It has been suggested, however, that cigarette smoking may be among the disease’s epidemic risk factors, although this can be considered a highly controversial topic – specifically, the inclusion of nicotine in the body and the effect it has on COVID19.

When a patient is administered to hospital, they will commonly undergo nicotine withdrawal (as we know they are not smoking whilst in hospital). As such, the cessation of nicotine intake could lead to the discharge of nicotinic receptors, which we found are increased in smokers, and may cause a ‘rebound effect’ responsible for easing symptoms of the disease.

We reveal the evidence, and what it means for you

Research concluded that the study in both sets of COVID-19 patients (in and out-patients) soundly suggested that daily smokers have a much lower probability of developing symptomatic or severe COVID-19 infection when compared to the general population.

It has been concluded that nicotine and the nicotinic receptor (but not the smoke of cigarettes itself, which still poses a major health risk for its own reasons) may be indeed implicated in the pathway resulting in the viral infection, particularly when we consider the most severe forms of the disease. Administering nicotine via a transcutaneous route – meaning through the skin and into the blood - may be tested as a therapy to reiterate the protection effect of nicotine against a COVID-19 infection. You can read more about the investigation and report here.

Benefiting from nicotine without smoking

For those who smoke or vape nicotine and who wish to get that nicotine hit without smoking tobacco directly, we recommend investing in one of the following products – both of which are designed to provide you with that hit without the harmful associations of smoking cigarettes:

• Snus – Pronounced ‘snoose’ (which rhymes with lose), Snus is an oral tobacco product that produces no smoke. It is commonly placed behind the upper lip or under the tongue, either in a loose form or in portioned sachets, and delivers nicotine to the user through oral ingestion.
• Nicotine Pouches – These work in a similar way to Snus pouches, whereby they contain nicotine used for ingestion. The difference is that nicotine pouches do not contain tobacco, and are made of nicotine derived from the tobacco plant, then crystalised into a salt-like substance which is then flavoured and thickened for enjoyment.

Which one is right for me?

Ask yourself this: do you want to incorporate tobacco into your nicotine hit or not?

If you answered no – nicotine pouches are the produce for you! This is because they contain no tobacco and simply the nicotine element. But keep in mind, although their differences are minimal, nicotine pouches are easily available in the UK given they are not made with tobacco.

Snus, on the other hand, has been banned in the EU since 1992 due to the presence of nicotine. It can now only be purchased in Sweden. As such, you may find it difficult to locate snus when compared to the more readily available pouches like ours. You can keep up to date with COVID-19 in the UK here.