Finding a less harmful source of nicotine than regular smoking

Where does nicotine come from? The simple answer is: plants, such as tomatoes (~332 ng of nicotine each on average), potatoes (~675 ng), and eggplants/aubergines (~525 ng) while wild tobacco plants of the Nicotiana genus have higher concentrations of nicotine. To put that into perspective, a single cigarette contains ~12 mg of nicotine – around 18 thousand times more nicotine than a potato, by mass. But only a fraction (<2 mg) of that nicotine is transferred into the smoke of a cigarette.

What does this mean? Nicotine is present in our diet in small doses. Research estimates that people eat about 1400 ng of nicotine every day in ordinary food.

Many believe that nicotine is the primary cause of smoking-related diseases. Although nicotine is addictive, studies and public health authorities have confirmed that it is not the case; rather, the primary cause of smoking-related diseases (such as cancers and heart disease) comes from the toxins, carcinogens and other chemicals formed when tobacco is burned.

While the best course of action is to quit smoking all together, if an adult smoker doesn’t quit and is looking for an alternative for cigarettes, it is worth it to consider an option that eliminates combustion. What this means is that it is possible to find a replacement for cigarettes that can offer a tobacco and/or nicotine experience, but without the combustion and cigarette smoke.

What cigarette alternatives are available?

Today, many choices exist on the market for those looking for an alternative for cigarettes. E-cigarettes („Vapes”) are well-known alternatives that eliminate combustion. There is also another type of product, called “heat-not-burn” or heated tobacco products. For example, in IQOS heated tobacco devices, the tobacco used is heated but not burned. Therefore, IQOS does not produce ash or smoke.

When choosing a replacement for cigarettes, nicotine delivery and experience could play a role. Depending on the cigarette alternative selected, the way nicotine is delivered, and the experience it could provide, this may help adult smokers who would otherwise continue to smoke or use other nicotine products switch fully to the alternative and leave cigarettes behind.