A drop of nicotine kills femininity

Even one cigarette blocks the production of estrogen in the brain of women

Svetlana Maslova, Hi-tech+

This discovery partly explains why it is especially difficult for women to quit a bad habit, the authors say. Most likely, the observed changes affect not only the work of the brain, but also other body systems.

Swedish researchers from Uppsala University found that nicotine turns off the mechanism of estrogen production in the brain of women, writes EurekAlert. Experiments have shown that the necessary dosage of nicotine is contained in just one cigarette.

"We were very surprised that the effect is achieved by such a dosage. This demonstrates how much smoking affects the brain of women," commented the author of the work Erica Komasco.

Scientists have found that changes occur in the thalamus, an area of the brain involved in behavioral and emotional reactions. The findings are based on a series of experiments with ten healthy women who were first injected intranasally with nicotine, and then with a radioactive label that is involved in the production of estrogen. Further observations using MRI and PET imaging showed a significant decrease in the level of the enzyme required for hormone production.

Aromatase (estrogensynthetase) is highlighted in red.

According to the authors, this discovery indicates the effect of nicotine not only on brain function, but also, very likely, on other functions, such as the reproductive system. While this is not clear for sure, as, however, there are no explanations for the biological differences in the smoking habit of men and women.

Further research is needed. In the next stages, scientists also plan to study the effect of nicotine on the brain of men, since it was not considered in these experiments.

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