|
home
site map
diabetes news
tool chest for diabetes
nutritional supplements
into to low carb foods
low carb recipes
links
web partners
forum
|
|
The following is from the web site: NutraIngredients.com
Nicotine link to ageing and cancer - new
research
29/10/02 - US researchers have discovered that a
chemical called nornicotine - which is naturally
present in tobacco and is also produced as a
metabolite of nicotine - may contribute to the pathology of diabetes,
cancer, ageing, and
Alzheimer’s disease.
In an article to be published in the Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences, the
researchers from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have uncovered a
previously unrecognised
chemical process through which nornicotine reacts with the body’s
proteins.
“Nornicotine permanently and irreversibly modifies proteins,
which can affect their overall
function,” said Dr Kim Janda.
This process is the chemical equivalent of cooking and is the same
reaction that causes food to age
and spoil. Furthermore, the 'cooking' of proteins is just the tip of
the iceberg. Nornicotine also reacts
with commonly prescribed steroids, like cortisone and prednisone,
potentially making them more
toxic or compromising the effectiveness and safety of these drugs,
reported the researchers.
In the so-called 'cooking' process, the chemical nornicotine attaches
itself 'covalently' (permanently)
to steroids and to certain amino acids on the surface of proteins, the
scientists explained. These
modified steroids and proteins can then interact with other chemicals
in the body. Significantly,
nornicotine-modified proteins can react to form a variety of compounds
known as advanced
glycation end products.
“These advanced glycation endproducts are not supposed to be
[present in your body]
naturally,” said Tobin Dickerson, a Ph.D. student in TSRI's
Kellogg School of Science and
Technology. “Your body is not prepared for them.”
Advanced glycation end products have previously been implicated in
numerous diseases including
diabetes, cancer, atherosclerosis, and Alzheimer’s disease. The
study shows a direct link between
tobacco use and the development of these advanced glycation end
products.
When they tested the blood of smokers and non-smokers, the researchers
found that the smokers
had higher levels of the nornicotine-modified proteins than
non-smokers. The smokers also had
higher levels of the advanced glycation end products.
The persistence of nornicotine in the bloodstream, as opposed to
nicotine, which quickly disappears
after cessation of smoking may also suggest a role for nornicotine in
contributing to the biological
mechanisms of tobacco addiction, since the nornicotine provides a
long-lived source of nicotine-like
molecules.
The work highlights the need for more studies into the consequences of
exposing the human body to
nicotine metabolites, like nornicotine.
Source: roceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 28 October,
online edition
Copyright - Unless otherwise stated all contents of this web site are
©
2000/2002–NutraIngredients– All Rights Reserved.
For permission to reproduce any contents of this web site, please email
our Syndication
department: admin@nutraingredients.com.
Full details for the use of materials on this site can be found in the
Terms & Conditions.
|
