More than a Kick
On its own, nicotine might promote tumors and wrinkles
Nicotine shifts the body into high gear. Whether from a puff on a cigarette or a patch stuck to the skin, the drug enters the bloodstream and bathes the internal organs. But scientists generally attribute nicotine’s power solely to the activity it sparks in the brain. That stimulation makes smokers feel good, even euphoric. It’s also what makes them crave more. Physicians, however, generally finger
tobacco’s thousands of other chemical constituents, including known carcinogens–not nicotine–for cigarettes’ nastiest side effects. Each year, tobacco accounts for 400,000 deaths among 48 million smokers in the United States alone.