How to remove nicotine from the body as quickly as possible
Miscellaneous / / June 29, 2022
Try going for a run or eating an orange.
When you smoke, sniff, chew tobacco, or inhale the smoke of someone else's cigarette, nicotine enters your bloodstream. This is the poison that raisesA. Mishra, P. Chaturvedi, S. Datta, S. Sinukumar, P. Joshi A. Garg. Harmful effects of nicotine / Indian Journal of Medical and Pediatric Oncology risk of cardiovascular, respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases. It affects the division and programmed death of cells, damages them, and this causes the development of tumors. Nicotine also accelerates metastasis and impairs cancer response to chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
So the sooner you get rid of it, the better. This is especially true for those who are planning to conceive, and those who are being treated for nicotine addiction.
How long does it take for nicotine to leave the body?
It is impossible to calculate how many hours or days the substance will completely disappear from the blood. Therefore, the half-life is measured - the time during which it loses half of its biological properties. For nicotine, it is 11 hours.
But this is not the end. When nicotine reaches the liver, enzymes—special proteins that catalyze chemical reactions—help convert it into other compounds to be excreted in the urine. The products of these transformations are called metabolites.
The main one is cotinine. It has the longest half-life of any nicotine metabolite, over 20 hours. Therefore cotinine useM. Raja, A. Garg, P. Yadav, K. Jaha, S. handa. Diagnostic Methods for Detection of Cotinine Level in Tobacco Users: A Review / Journal of clinical and diagnostic research in smoking tests. It is found in urine, blood, saliva, hair and nails.
What determines the rate of nicotine elimination?
Several factors influence how long nicotine and its derivatives can be detected in your body.
genetic predisposition
Some people recycleBiomonitoring Summary / CDC nicotine is faster than others. For example, Caucasians in this regard were more fortunate than Negroids.
However, perhaps this is due not to a special set of genes, but to the frequency of using menthol cigarettes, because menthol slows down the utilization of nicotine.
Age
After 65 years, the rate of excretion is noticeably decliningN.L. Benowitz, J. Hukkanen, P. Jacob III. Nicotine Chemistry, Metabolism, Kinetics and Biomarkers / Handbook of experimental pharmacology. Scientists suggest that this is due to a general slowdown in metabolism and blood flow.
It is not known exactly whether the metabolism of nicotine differs in newborns. But there is an opinion that going onD. Dempsey, P. Jacob III, N.L. Benowitz. Nicotine metabolism and elimination kinetics in newborns / Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics 3-4 times slower than in adults. That is why it is so important to protect children from passive smoking.
Floor
Studies have shown that nicotine outputN.L. Benowitz, J. Hukkanen, P. Jacob III. Nicotine Chemistry, Metabolism, Kinetics and Biomarkers / Handbook of experimental pharmacology from the female body faster than from the male.
In pregnant women, this happens even faster due to increased blood flow and increased production of enzymes by the liver. But this does not mean that smoking during pregnancy is not so harmful. Nicotine threatensSmoking, Pregnancy, and Babies / CDC life and health of mother and child. For example, increasesSubstance Use During Pregnancy / CDC the likelihood of premature birth, low birth weight, defects such as cleft palate and cleft lip, as well as sudden infant death syndrome.
But the phase of the menstrual cycle does not affect the metabolism of nicotine.
Age and number of cigarettes per day
smoking itself affectsN.L. Benowitz, J. Hukkanen, P. Jacob III. Nicotine Chemistry, Metabolism, Kinetics and Biomarkers / Handbook of experimental pharmacology on the rate of nicotine metabolism. Compounds found in cigarettes slow down the elimination of tobacco smoke components. Therefore, the more you smoke, the more difficult it is for the body to cleanse itself.
The performance of the liver and kidneys
As we have said, nicotine, cotinine and other metabolites recycledN.L. Benowitz, J. Hukkanen, P. Jacob III. Nicotine Chemistry, Metabolism, Kinetics and Biomarkers / Handbook of experimental pharmacology liver. So the better it works and the faster the blood flow in it, the sooner they will disappear from the body.
Also, the excretion is affected by the work of the kidneys. They not only remove cotinine and other metabolites, but also stimulate the production of an enzyme that is responsible for the conversion of nicotine in the liver.
Consumption of certain substances
Menthol found in cigarettes, toothpaste and mouthwash, and grapefruit juice suppressN.L. Benowitz, J. Hukkanen, P. Jacob III. Nicotine Chemistry, Metabolism, Kinetics and Biomarkers / Handbook of experimental pharmacology production of enzymes of the cytochrome P450 family in the liver. They are responsible for the removal of various foreign compounds and drugs - therefore, it is forbidden to drink grapefruit juice with pills.
Including they block the main enzyme that is responsible for the conversion of nicotine to cotinine. This means the process is slowing down.
Taking medicines
Some medicines too blockN.L. Benowitz, J. Hukkanen, P. Jacob III. Nicotine Chemistry, Metabolism, Kinetics and Biomarkers / Handbook of experimental pharmacology these enzymes, for example:
- rifampicin, an antibiotic that is included in the treatment regimen for tuberculosis;
- steroid dexamethasone;
- Phenobarbital is an outdated epilepsy drug that is now used as a sleeping pill and anti-anxiety by older people, despite all the prohibitions.
But there are medications that, on the contrary, increase the rate of nicotine excretion. These are combined oral contraceptives.
How to remove nicotine from the body a little faster
Quitting smoking is definitely indispensable - it will help for sure. But you can also try to influence the factors that increase the rate of nicotine metabolism. For example, to disperse blood flow and general metabolism.
Quit smoking
As we have already said, smoking slows down the process of removing nicotine from the body. In addition, it constantly increases its content in the blood. Therefore, in order to quickly remove nicotine, you need to start with smoking cessation.
If you are unable to quit on your own, be sure to tell your therapist about it. He will help.
drink some water
Water "dilutes" the blood and increases the number of trips to the toilet. Therefore, the concentration of nicotine and its metabolites will decrease a little faster.
Go in for sports
Physical activity, especially aerobic, not only helps to build muscle mass, but also disperseCan you boost your metabolism? / MedLine Plus NIH metabolism. In addition, an increase in heart rate increases the rate of hepatic and renal blood flow, which means it can help a little with the utilization of nicotine and cotinine.
Go to sauna
Bath and sauna, as well as physical activity, trainJ. Leppaluoto, M. Tuominen A. Vaanenen, J. Karpakka, J. Vuori. Some cardiovascular and metabolic effects of repeated sauna bathing / Acta physiologica Scandinavica cardiovascular system and accelerate metabolism. Therefore, they will also affect the metabolism of nicotine in the body.
Choose Foods Rich in Antioxidants
Antioxidants are substances that prevent oxygen and other free radicals from oxidizing cells and destroying the body. They are protectS. Casas Grajales, P. Muriel. Antioxidants in liver health / World journal of gastrointestinal pharmacology and therapeutics liver and are involved in the detoxification of toxic substances, so they can help the body cope with the effects of smoking.
Antioxidants include, for example:
- curcumin, found in turmeric;
- resveratrol, which is most abundant in muscat grapes;
- vitamins C and E from citrus fruits and vegetables;
- silymarin from milk thistle;
- green tea polyphenols.
Drinking the latter is especially beneficial. First, the antioxidant properties of polyphenols even more powerfulb. Nugala, A. Namasi, P. Emmadi, P.M. Krishna. Role of green tea as an antioxidant in periodontal disease: The Asian paradox / Journal of Indian Society of Periodontologythan vitamin C. Secondly, some people report that green tea increases the frequency of going to the toilet. This means that it can actually speed up the elimination of nicotine a little. And also he reducesDrinking Tea: Are the Health Benefits Real? /Medscape stress, which means you may want to smoke less.
What else can you try to remove nicotine from the body
These methods are recommended by Internet users. But scientific evidence of their effectiveness is not yet available.
Milk
It is advised very often, despite the fact that there is no evidence that it somehow affects the rate of nicotine elimination.
But often smokers note that milk and dairy products worsenF.J. McClernon, E.C. Westman, J.E. Rose, A.M. Lutz. The effects of foods, beverages, and other factors on cigarette palatability / Nicotine & tobacco research: official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco the taste of cigarettes, and this helps to smoke less.
So keep drinking milk if you like it, but remember that for some it is not very helpful.
Coniferous oils
It is believed that aromatic coniferous oils help to remove harmful tar and nicotine from the body. No research has been done on this topic, so this information cannot be confirmed. But they smell nice, so they won't hurt you if you don't have allergies.
What not to try
You may have seen advertisements for expensive dietary supplements that contain "the most powerful antioxidant of the 21st century." They supposedly can not only improve the body and improve endurance, but also remove from it in a couple of hours harmful substances, such as nicotine and even opioid drugs, and completely rid the person of dependencies.
Of course, not a single claimed property has been confirmed by independent studies, and scientists even promise to improve endurance and athletic performance. refutedL.R. Glazier, T. Stellingwerff, L.L. Spriet. Effects of microhydrin supplementation on endurance performance and metabolism in well‑trained cyclists / International journal of sport nutrition and exercise metabolism.
So don't waste your money on useless supplements: no antioxidants have "magic" properties, they just support the body. If you want to use more of them, it is better to choose foods rich in them.
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