Study: Gut Bacteria Able to Alleviate Smoking Hazard
A colony of gut bacteria was found to have reduced intestinal nicotine concentrations in nicotine-exposed mice, the journal Nature reported.
The researchers from Peking University, Zhejiang University, Fudan University, the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University and the US National Institutes of Health found that Bacteroides xylanisolvens can degrade the nicotine accumulated in a smoker's gut.
Nicotine is known to activate a kind of intestinal molecule called AMPKα and these molecules contribute to the progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), according to the study.
The study findings suggest a possible strategy to reduce tobacco smoking-exacerbated NAFLD progression, by employing bacteria that are naturally present in human gut and that have been used safely in food production.
Nicotine is the chemical in tobacco that keeps you smoking. Nicotine reaches the brain within seconds of taking a puff. In the brain, nicotine increases the release of brain chemicals called neurotransmitters, which help regulate mood and behavior.
Nicotine is a dangerous and highly addictive chemical. It can cause an increase in blood pressure, heart rate, flow of blood to the heart and a narrowing of the arteries (vessels that carry blood). Nicotine may also contribute to the hardening of the arterial walls, which in turn, may lead to a heart attack.
4155/v
