Health experts refute nicotine wellness claims promoted by influencers

Social‑media influencers have been marketing nicotine—delivered via pouches, gum or patches—as a natural health hack that boosts cognition, productivity and aids weight control. Nicotine is a stimulant that releases dopamine and is highly addictive. While nicotine‑replacement products are used to help smokers quit, research on nicotine alone is limited.

Angela Difeng Wu, a senior researcher at Oxford's Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, told Euronews Health that nicotine’s short‑term effects on alertness, attention, appetite and mood do not translate into a viable wellness treatment and that dependence on nicotine is a serious harm. She highlighted the rapid growth of nicotine‑containing nootropic products and noted new European regulations, such as the United Kingdom's anti‑tobacco bill restricting sales to anyone born after 2008, aimed at curbing youth use.