Re: Nicotine( Re: Time for a jump in quality?)
Geoff Smith (geoffs@unixg.ubc.ca)
Tue, 31 Mar 1998 12:04:52 -0800
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> From: Arjen Kamphuis <mountain@knoware.nl>
> To: extropians@extropy.com
> Subject: Nicotine( Re: Time for a jump in quality?)
> Date: Tuesday, March 31, 1998 7:48 AM
>
>
> At 23:14 30-03-98 -0500, you wrote:
> >Arjen Kamphuis wrote:
> >>- Nicotine greatly increases the chance of vascular disease but
> >> significantly lowers the probability of contracting braindiseases
> >> like Alzheimer or Parkinson (take your pick).
> >
> >does nicotine in and of itself increase the chance of vascular
> >desease, or only when smoked in the form of tobacco? if the latter then
> >chewing tobacco gives you the best of both worlds (and lip cancer,
> >but that's beside the point).
>
> To the best of my knowledge nicotine catalyzes the buildup of fat inside
> vains and arteries thereby increasing the chance of cardiac-arrest and
> strokes.
> The tar just gives you lungcancer (doctors in the hous, please correct me
> if I'm wrong ;-).
Another downside:
Nicotine (smoked or not) strips the cilia off one's trachea, which are
basically little hairs that act as a filter for pathogen's in the air.
Without these cilia, a smoker is more prone to lung problems, especially
pneumonia.
Geoff.