Nicotine and the tobacco plant from which it is derived (Nicotiana tabacum) are named after the French ambassador Jean Nicot de Villemain who first introduced the French royal court to tobacco. Tobacco was initially seen to have medicinal effects and its popularity grew largely due to its addictive properties. While tobacco is associated with a number of detrimental health effects, the health effects of nicotine may be less detrimental. In fact some of the health effects of nicotine consumption may be beneficial. For example, it has been consistently shown that smokers have lower body weights than non-smokers. This weight loss effect of smoking may be due to the physiological effects of nicotine, which include a significant increase in metabolic rate. Weight gain is significantly associated with a greater risk of mortality, and nicotine may protect against this. Smoking, due to the nicotine, has been shown to increase energy expenditure by about 10 %, which could amount to about 200 kcal per day for the average person.
The weight loss effects of nicotine may stem from the ability of nicotine to cause a local release of noradrenaline into tissues and the systemic release of adrenaline from the adrenal glands. Both noradrenaline and adrenaline may stimulate metabolic rate and increase energy expenditure.
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