viernes, noviembre 04, 2005

Inhaladores y parches de nicotina


Hay formas de administración de nicotina que tienen muchos menos efectos perjudiciales que fumar. ¿Pero cuán segura es la nicotina?.


The New Brain Power from Philip Morris

Yep, it’s true. When nicotine-dependent human subjects abstain from cigarette smoking, they exhibit a decline in working memory. [Biological Psychiatry 58: 143-50, 2005] In fact, how are we going to tell the public, after all the years of saying nicotine in cigarettes is potentially harmful, that nicotine is maybe the best memory enhancing brain stimulant available. Nicotine skin patches could actually be used to enhance memory, or even treat Alzheimer’s disease. Nicotine skin patches even improve attention function among people with Attention Deficit Disorder! Better yet, nicotine is safe. [Current Drug Targets CNS Neurological Disorders 4: 423-31, 2002]

Get this, nicotine-treated mice develop less beta amyloid plaque in their brain than sugar-fed animals. Researchers in Sweden say nicotine drug treatment may be a novel protective therapy in Alzheimer's disease. [J Neurochemistry 81:655-8, 2002]


Here is where Philip Morris, the tobacco giant, comes in. According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, “Philip Morris has developed an inhaler that could deliver a nicotine mist deep into the lungs, giving smokers a satisfying dose of the addictive drug without the carcinogens, gases and toxic metals that make tobacco smoke so dangerous.”

Ver nota completa en knowledgeofhealth.com