IPB researcher clarifies distinction between nicotine and carcinogens

Mohammad Khotib, a researcher from the Department of Chemistry at IPB University, has clarified the distinction between nicotine and the primary causes of cancer in smokers. While nicotine is often blamed for cancer, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) does not classify it as a carcinogen.

Khotib explains that nicotine is a natural alkaloid found in tobacco and certain Solanaceae plants. Its primary effect is inducing addiction by triggering dopamine release in the brain's reward system, which makes smoking difficult to quit. This mechanism of addiction is biologically distinct from the cellular damage or mutations that lead to cancer.

The actual cancer risk for smokers is linked to the thousands of chemical compounds produced when tobacco is burned. These combustion products include known carcinogens such as tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs), benzene, 1,3-butadiene, benzo[a]pyrene, and formaldehyde.