When we hear the word nicotine, most of us immediately relate it to cigarettes and the damaging effect smoking can have on the heart. Nicotine is present abundantly in the tobacco plant which is used in cigarettes.
However, the addictive chemical occurs naturally in tomatoes, peppers and eggplant. According to a research, people who consume these vegetables in their diet have a 30 percent lower chance of developing Parkinson’s disease, reported Mail Online.
In this disease, the person loses control of body movements. It happens when cells that produce a neurotransmitter, dopamine, start dying off. The chemical nicotine is shown to activate those cells which release dopamine.
There is also another way nicotine helps patients of Parkinson’s disease who also suffer from bone loss. A research suggests that nicotine binds to the receptors which increases the amount of calcium entering cells in the bones.
A research led by Newcastle University’s Dr Mohammad Shoaib aims to find a nicotine-based treatment of Parkinson’s disease. Dr Shoaib is the head of psychopharmacology research group at the university.
As per him, several nicotine compounds were developed for the treatment of brain-related disorders like Alzheimer’s and Schizophrenia but they had to be discarded because of the side effects.
Not only Parkinson’s diseases, nicotine is also believed to be the reason behind low Covid-19 hospitalisations in China.
The report says that a professor of Public Health named Konstantinos Farsalinos from University of Patras, Greece, found that the smoking rate in China is high but less people were hospitalised in the country.
In April 2020, French scientists also started a trial to test their hypothesis that the chemical used in cigarettes can help the body fight Covid-19. Prior to this, a French study based on the public health data was published which showed that smokers had an 80 percent less chance to get Covid-19 as compared to non-smokers.
Read all the Latest News and Breaking News here