As it is known, nicotine is an addictive chemical substance found in cigarettes and other tobacco products. Studies show that receptors in the human brain (protein that transmits signals between cells) cause different perceptions of smoking in men and women.
Thus, when men and women want to quit smoking, they do not have the same experiences. However, a study explains that it is more difficult for women to quit smoking than men, with the effect of nicotine on estrogen levels. So what exactly is this effect?
In fact, when you consume nicotine, your body begins to release dopamine, a feel-good chemical, and addiction develops.
So it’s not cigarettes that are addictive, it’s nicotine. Studies show that men are less addicted to nicotine. Actually, interestingly, men’s brain chemicals have more nicotine receptors than women. Therefore, the desire to smoke is more in men. When you look at it, you may say “how do they become less addicted then” and perceive it as a bad thing, but this also makes it easier for men to quit smoking.
How Does? Because men’s brain chemicals are more eager for nicotine, they are able to quit smoking with nicotine gum or other distracting methods. In other words, men only have a desire for this chemical substance, they do not attribute a different meaning to it. Thus, when they find something to replace the nicotine, the job is easily solved for them.
On the other hand, although women are less sensitive/affected by chemical triggers such as nicotine than men, studies show that they attribute meaning to cigarettes.
Studies show that women often smoke for different reasons, such as suppressing stress or not gaining weight. In many studies, it is seen that the tendency to smoke due to stress is more in women.
This makes it harder for them to quit smoking. Because they do not see smoking as a chemical substance, they generally use it as a method of coping with external factors. Thus, it is understood that most of the women, when they want to quit smoking, and when they crave nicotine again, find it difficult to substitute something (nicotine gum, etc.) to suppress this desire.
But there is something more interesting: A study conducted in Sweden found that nicotine reduces the production of the hormone estrogen in women.
Now, to explain the research a little bit; The participant group of the research is a group of 10 women living in Sweden. Women are injected with a small dose of nicotine through their noses. At the same time, a radioactive tracer is placed in a molecule linked to the aromatase enzyme, an enzyme that plays an important role in estrogen production.
This allows researchers to detect both the amount of aromatase and the effects on the brain. Then they see that their single dose of nicotine moderately reduces the amount of aromatase in the brain.
(Note: In order not to confuse, let me explain: Although estrogen is produced wherever there is aromatase, the main place that is effective in estrogen production is the adrenal glands. In other words, the researchers involved in this study are trying to understand the effect of smoking on brain chemicals, directly through the estrogen hormone. As you can see, aromatase is an enzyme that can be found in many parts of the body such as fatty tissues, brain, skin, bone, liver. Since experts examine the issue from the brain, they conclude that nicotine suppresses estrogen depending on the decrease in aromatase in the brain.)
Then the experts continue the research by trying different methods to understand the differences in the behavior of women and men to quit smoking. They send their detected effect (the aforementioned finding that nicotine reduces estrogen) to the thalamus, which is part of the limbic system in the brain (the system that regulates emotional and behavioral response).
On top of that, women seem to be quite resistant to ingesting nicotine without smoking. As we mentioned before, most of the women, like the men, their smoking cravings, tobacco gum, etc. He cannot suppress it with other things, that is, he wants to smoke the cigarette himself.
As you can see, research reveals that a dose of nicotine from just a single cigarette causes behavioral changes in women by blocking estrogen production. In fact, the academician at the beginning of the research, Dr. Erika Comasco says that the effect of even a single cigarette on women’s hormonal structures is surprising.
Because this shows that the effects of smoking on the female brain are very strong. In fact, we can say that these are the findings that strengthen the acceptance that the meaning that women attribute to cigarettes and smoking depends on external conditions, as we mentioned above.
The researchers say that the group of participants they conducted the study was a small group, and they say that more research needs to be done to confirm the findings. In other studies, it is stated that women who want to quit smoking are more successful when they start such an initiative 15 days before or after their menstrual period.
Or joining smoking cessation groups can also be beneficial for them. In addition, it is stated in studies that those who do not quit smoking just to gain weight can overcome this issue with psychological support. So, are you surprised that quitting smoking gives different results according to gender? You can share your thoughts with us in the comments.
Editor’s Note: In this article, it is aimed to present a general point of view over the researches. The study, which found that nicotine reduces estrogen levels, as stated in the text, was conducted with a small group of participants. Further studies are needed for more precise and general conclusions. Also, smoking is harmful to health.
- Sources: Neuro Science News, SEARHC
- Image Sources: The Swaddle, Barron’s, Everyday Health, Single Care, Cedars Sinai, Apollo 247
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