The study which was presented at the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco’s 24th annual meeting, clearly indicates how the public is still largely misinformed about the dangers of cigarettes. Contrary to what most seem to think, Nicotine, is a natural plant alkaloid, with a lot of interesting and useful properties. In fact, previous studies have indicated that Nicotine can prevent brain shrinkage, and also protect from the onslaught of Alzheimer’s and other neurological disorders.
Nicotine’s useful medicinal properties
The researchers from Pinney Associates, analyzed data from 1,736 adults via the 2017 health information national trends survey. Approximately 85% of the participants mentioned the addictive component of nicotine, while 53% said that it causes cancer. Additionally, the compiled data pointed out that interestingly, smokers tend to be more misinformed than non-smokers, with 52.5 percent of smokers vs 14.6 percent of non-smokers, linking nicotine to cancer.
Misconceptions about e-cigarettes
Another recent study also highlighted a similarly common misconception. Data compiled by the National Cancer Institute’s Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS), indicated that more smokers mistakenly believed that e-cigarettes are more harmful than regular cigarettes in 2017, than they did in 2013.
These facts are alarming, and give us an indication into how many lives are being lost to smokers who would never consider switching to the safer alternatives, that could potentially save their lives. Many public health experts, have been repeatedly pointing out that the spread of inaccurate and alarming statements by authority figures such as the Surgeon General have contributed to such misinformation, and have been urging lawmakers to look at scientific data and release corrective statements accordingly.
