Nicotine pouches have rapidly become a popular alternative to traditional tobacco products due to the convenient, smoke-free, and less harmful nature of these products.
Nicotine Pouches have become particularly popular due to being less harmful than traditional tobacco and smoking products. Due to the absence of tobacco and smoke, Nicotine pouches have become increasingly popular amongst those who wish to quit smoking or find a less harmful alternative. Nicotine pouches are placed under the upper lip and used for 10-50 minutes where they release nicotine in a convenient, discreet, and hands-free manner. This makes them exceptionally convenient to use anytime and anywhere.
Since nicotine pouches are relatively new on the market, there are many questions that new users may have. One of these questions is whether nicotine pouches make you lose weight. This is the question we are going to focus on and answer in this article.
Understanding Nicotine Pouches
Before we dig in, let’s first get a better understanding of what nicotine pouches are and how they work.
Nicotine pouches are small pouches made of plant fiber, nicotine, and other food-grade ingredients like flavoring. Nicotine pouches exist in a vast selection of flavors, formats, and nicotine strengths, allowing everyone to find a pouch that suits their taste and preference.
As mentioned earlier, the pouches are placed under the upper lip where they release nicotine into the bloodstream via the oral mucosa. Nicotine pouches are free from tobacco and are not smoked, thus eliminating the harmful effect of inhaling smoke into the lungs, which is the most harmful part of smoking.
The market for nicotine pouches has grown immensely in recent years due to a rising interest in less harmful nicotine alternatives. More and more people have discovered the benefits of nicotine pouches as a smoke-free and tobacco-free alternative which objectively speaking is a much healthier and superior method of nicotine delivery.
The Link Between Nicotine and Weight
Now to the key question of this article: do nicotine pouches make you lose weight?
The fact is that most studies have looked specifically at nicotine pouches and their health impacts but not specifically on their correlation with weight loss. With that said, plenty of studies have looked at the relationship between nicotine and weight loss whose findings can also be applied to nicotine pouches, seeing that nicotine is the only ”active” ingredient in nicotine pouches.
In the study Cigarette Smoking, Nicotine, and Body Weight by J Audrain-McGovern and NL Benowitz, they concluded the following:
”Nicotine reduces body weight by raising the resting metabolic rate while blunting the expected increase in food intake in response to the increase in metabolic rate. Like many antiobesity drugs, nicotine is a sympathomimetic agent” (source)
This finding suports the idea that nicotine pouches could help you lose weight.
The studies that have looked at nicotine and weight loss are unanimous in the conclusion that nicotine is associated with appetite suppression and increased metabolic rate. This could potentially contribute to weight loss. At the same time, it’s important to point out that this alone does not automatically lead to weight loss, even though it may. Ultimately, things like individual differences, duration of nicotine exposure, and the form in which nicotine is consumed will always impact the individual results.
Another study named ”Self-administered nicotine increases fat metabolism and suppresses weight gain in male rats” concluded that ”Self-administered nicotine suppressed weight gain and reduced the percent of body fat without altering the percent of lean mass, as measured by Echo MRI. Nicotine reduced RER, indicating increased fat utilization; this effect was observed prior to weight suppression. Moreover, nicotine intake did not affect motor activity or energy expenditure. Daily food intake was not altered by nicotine self-administration; however, a trend in suppression of meal size, a transient suppression of water intake, and an increase in meal frequency was observed.” (Source)
With all of this in mind, studies are quite clear that there is some level of relationship between nicotine and weight loss, which would therefore also apply to the use of nicotine pouches.
Another study concluded the following:
”Some human and animal studies suggest that nicotine suppresses food intake (Bowen et al. 1986, Frankish et al. 1995), while other studies show that nicotine increases metabolic rate (Schechter & Cook 1976, Wager-Srdar et al. 1984, Hofstetter et al. 1986, Sztalryd et al. 1996). Winders & Grunberg (1990) showed that nicotine decreased weight gain and carcass fat, but did not affect food intake in rats.” (Source)
Nicotine’s impact on appetite and metabolism
Nicotine has been shown to influence the central nervous system which affects neurotransmitter activity and appetite regulation. Some studies suggest that nicotine can suppress appetite by influencing the release of certain hormones and neurotransmitters which leads to reduced food intake. Moreover, nicotine has been reported to increase metabolic rate, potentially contributing to the burning of calories.
As mentioned earlier, it’s still important to note that the impact of nicotine on weight is not uniform across all individuals. Everyone has a different response to nicotine which means that the use of nicotine does not immediately translate to weight loss.
Historical context of nicotine use for weight management
Interestingly enough, the use of nicotine for weight management has quite long historical roots, with anecdotal evidence suggesting that individuals, particularly women, turned to smoking or other forms of nicotine consumption to control their weight. With that said, it’s not a good comparison to compare the health effects of smoking with nicotine pouch use due to the other, detrimental health effects of the inhalation of tobacco smoke, which nicotine pouch usage does not have.
This is why it’s important to be mindful of not looking blindly at studies of smoking and its relation with weight loss and automatically apply it to nicotine pouch usage.
Weight Loss Claims and Evidence
With the above-mentioned studies, nicotine consumption could help reduce weight, however, researchers have come to different conclusions about why this happens. Most argue that the reduced weight is due to a suppressed appetite which leads to a reduced food intake. Others argue that it is due to an increased metabolic rate, which potentially contributes to the burning of calories.
With that said, you shouldn’t expect wonders in regards to your weight just because you use nicotine pouches. The level of impact on your weight can vary greatly and whilst some may notice greater impact, others may not notice any difference. This is why the argument that nicotine pouches can be used as a weight loss tool is not that strong. If you’re looking to lose weight, it’s more important to focus on other methods of weight loss, predominantly including changing your diet and increasing exercise.
Other Factors Influencing Weight
If you’re looking to lose weight, you shouldn’t rely on nicotine pouches as the golden solution for weight loss. While the potential impact of nicotine pouches on weight is a subject of interest, it’s more important to recognize the broader context of lifestyle choices. Factors such as diet, physical activity, sleep, and stress levels play important roles in determining body weight. Solely focusing on nicotine and ignoring these factors oversimplifies the complex nature of weight management.
You should strive to adopt a balanced and healthy lifestyle that includes a well-rounded diet, regular exercise, and sufficient sleep to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
Importance of diet and exercise in overall health
It goes without saying but diet and exercise are the cornerstones of weight management and weight loss.
Strive to have a nutritious and well-balanced diet with essential nutrients while regulating calorie intake.
Moreover, regular physical activity not only contributes to calorie expenditure but also supports cardiovascular health, muscle tone, and overall well-being.
Aim to incorporate these lifestyle factors into your routine for a sustainable and long-term weight management.
The role of mental health in weight management
Lastly, the role of mental health should not be underestimated when it comes to weight management. Your mental health can influence behaviors such as eating patterns, physical activity, and stress management.
Issues like emotional eating, stress-related behaviors and mental health conditions can hinder your efforts of weight loss and lead to weight loss. Therefore, working on your mental health can be extremely powerful and valuable in weight loss.
