Influencers Are Spinning Nicotine as a ‘Natural’ Health Hack
The New York Times • • business
Key Points:
- Biohacking influencer Dave Asprey and other health promoters claim nicotine can reverse Alzheimer's, enhance cognitive function, and potentially extend lifespan, advocating its use through patches, gums, lozenges, and pouches.
- These advocates, often linked to the Make America Healthy Again movement, argue that nicotine is a natural product unfairly stigmatized by the medical community, similar to other controversial health items like beef tallow and raw milk.
- Celebrity fitness trainer Jillian Michaels endorses low-dose nicotine for protecting against neurodegenerative diseases and improving focus, though she advises consulting a doctor before use.
- Conservative TV host Tucker Carlson markets nicotine pouches as productivity boosters and vitality enhancers, describing them in highly favorable terms.
- Medical experts caution that these claims overstate current scientific evidence and warn nicotine use, particularly among youth, carries significant health risks.
