A study unveiled in October confirmed that nicotine influences the production of estrogen, which has various consequences.
The “Month without tobacco” began Tuesday, November 1st. All smokers are invited to try to quit for a month and supported in this direction. The first few weeks are, in fact, crucial for quitting smoking. And on this point, men and women are not equal.
A study presented in October at the annual meeting of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) confirmed that tobacco poses an additional danger for women, reports The Parisian. The results could also explain why on average they have more difficulty quitting and more likely to relapse. This would be due to the influence of nicotine on estrogen, hormones much more present in women, and which play a role in fertility, the development of female physical characteristics and the menstrual cycle.
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An effect on the level of addiction?
Researchers subjected volunteers to a low dose of nicotine while injecting them a radioactive tracer to track the enzyme that produces estrogen. They found that from the first “puff”, and even at low doses, the enzyme was hindered and blocked estrogen production. This study thus confirms an effect already suspected for several years by scientists. She also pinpointed another effect of nicotine on women.
By following the production of the enzyme in question, they located the decrease in the thalamus, a nerve center involved in emotions, behavior, but also addictions. The researchers cautioned that their study alone could not conclude that it leads to superior resistance to quitting smoking. Further work will be required. But these data suggest that it would be more difficult for women to quit. In France, smoking is the leading cause of preventable premature death, with approximately 66,000 deaths each year.