Nicotine blocks estrogen in women’s brains, making it harder to quit

This study examined a group of 10 healthy female volunteers who received an intranasal dose of over-the-counter nicotine.

They also injected a radioactive tracer attached to a molecule that binds to the enzyme aromatase, also known as “estrogen synthase,” the enzyme responsible for the production of estrogen.

MRI and PET brain scans allowed researchers to confirm the amount of aromatase and its location in the brain. They found that a single dose moderately reduced the amount of aromatase in the brain.

This study looks at what researchers already know. Women are more resistant to nicotine replacement therapy and more likely to relapse when trying to quit.

However, the biological basis for these differences is not understood.

Comasco said this was the first time this inhibitory effect on aromatase production had been shown in humans, but pointed out that its effects had not been studied in men.

“Our study did not assess resistance to smoking cessation or nicotine addiction treatment,” she explained. “Rather, it highlights another mechanism by which nicotine affects the brain.”

According to Comasco, the study makes researchers believe that nicotine’s effects on estrogen may also affect other areas of women’s biology.

“Nicotine is known to have peripheral effects on the reproductive system. For example, women who smoke go through menopause much earlier,” she said.

Comasco noted that women also show a higher risk of developing first-smoke-related illnesses, such as: lung cancer When heart attack.

“We need to understand whether this effect of nicotine on the hormonal system is responsible for any of these responses,” she said.

“Of course, this is a relatively small group of women. A larger sample is needed to confirm these findings.”

Doctor Wim van den BrinkPh.D., emeritus professor of psychiatry and addiction at the University of Amsterdam’s Academic Medical Center, told Healthline that the new findings are significant. He said it’s still too early to tell whether adding estrogen to the equation will help women quit smoking.

“It might help, but I don’t know,” said Dr. van den Brink. “What we do know is that nicotine appears to have a strong effect on estrogen production in healthy women.

Doctor Monty GaucheAn addiction expert and an assistant professor at the University of Alberta Hospital in Canada, Dr. Thompson told Healthline that the study could show a relationship between nicotine and fatigue, energy, and overall health.

“Certainly, nicotine’s effects on estrogen production can lead to side effects such as increased osteoporosis and heart disease, both of which are associated with estrogen loss and smoking, but this study makes the relationship clearer. ,” Dr. Ghosh told Healthline.

“[It]has a small sample size and more work needs to be done, but this study has the potential to demonstrate [a] potential need to assess [or] It also has the potential to screen and treat estrogen deficiency in women,” Ghosh said.

“If further research substantiates these findings, I think there should be further screening for estrogen deficiency and potentially the use of estrogen replacement. DVTs [deep vein thrombosis] when combined with smoking. ”

Quitting smoking is not easy, but Some methods you can try Helps reduce and eventually quit.

For example, both Comasco and van den Brink suggested drug therapy and drug therapy combinations. cognitive behavioral therapy.

Many medications and patches are also available to help you quit smoking gradually.

“The most effective drug is varenicline,” said van den Brink. “Other effective drugs are nicotine replacements (gums, patches, sprays), bupropion, and nortriptyline.”

Ghosh pointed out that smoking cessation is individual.

“Some people do well with medication support like Chantix. [Champix] Or Wellbutrin. Others are more effective with nicotine replacement therapies such as patches, gums, sprays, or combinations of short-acting and long-acting alternatives.

Quitting smoking can be difficult, regardless of your gender or biological sex.

However, new research builds on existing evidence that women may find it more difficult than men to quit smoking.

According to this study, smoking just one cigarette interferes with the production of estrogen in the brain, which may make some differences between women and men who smoke.

These effects were observed in the thalamus, a part of the limbic system involved in behavioral and emotional responses.

Although more research is needed to better understand the clinical implications of quitting smoking for women, the findings may indicate a need for specialized medical care and care for women trying to quit. there is.