\u201cAre you over the age of 21?\u201d the perky representative asked as she handed me two tins of ALP nicotine pouches.<\/p>\n
We were at Dave Asprey\u2019s Beyond Biohacking Conference<\/a>, where attendees crowded around the booth to get their hands on the brand\u2019s fruity and minty \u201clip pillows.\u201d<\/p>\n Nicotine has long been viewed as a vice, not a tool for improving health and performance \u2014 but it\u2019s recently undergone an image makeover thanks to biohackers<\/a>, wellness influencers and high-achieving consumers seeking a cognitive edge.<\/p>\n Once synonymous with cigarettes and addiction, the stimulant is now being explored as a tool for improving mental performance and brain health \u2014 with Asprey among its most vocal advocates.<\/p>\n \u201cNicotine is one of the most misunderstood compounds in the biohacking world,\u201d Asprey, who pioneered the movement, told The Post.<\/p>\n Nicotine featured prominently at this year\u2019s Beyond Biohacking Conference, the world\u2019s largest and longest running event dedicated to longevity and optimizing human performance. <\/p>\n The problem, he said, is that when people hear nicotine, they immediately think of cigarettes<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cTobacco smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals and carcinogens. Vaping<\/a> is probably worse,\u201d Asprey said. \u201cPharmaceutical-grade nicotine is completely different.\u201d<\/p>\n He said that nicotine, when separated from tobacco and combustion, can act as a powerful nootropic \u2014 binding to receptors in the brain involved in memory, attention and neuroprotection.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been using non-combustible nicotine for years now, and I\u2019m not shy about it,\u201d Asprey said. \u201cI typically use a low dose, we\u2019re talking 2 to 5 milligrams, and I\u2019m strategic about when I use it. It\u2019s usually before deep work or before a high-stakes conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n Asprey is far from alone in embracing nicotine as a performance aid. In Silicon Valley, tech startups are handing out free nicotine pouches to employees<\/a>, stocking office vending machines with flavored stimulants that workers say sharpen focus and boost productivity.<\/p>\n Fitness guru and \u201cBiggest Loser\u201d host Jillian Michaels<\/a> has spoken about using nicotine gum to manage her ADHD and protect her brain.<\/p>\n Joe Rogan<\/a> is also among its fans, along with Tucker Carlson, co-founder of ALP, who once described nicotine as a \u201clife-enhancing, God-given chemical\u201d <\/p>\n Andrew Huberman, a tenured professor at Stanford University\u2019s School of Medicine, best known for his wellness podcast, \u201cThe Huberman Lab,\u201d once said it \u201csharpens the mind<\/a>.\u201d <\/p>\n Nicotine pouches are small, tobacco-free packets containing powdered nicotine. Andrey Popov \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been spotted carrying nicotine pouches, and even appeared to place one under his lip<\/a> during his Senate confirmation hearing.<\/p>\n Nicotine pouches are frequently touted as tobacco-free alternatives to cigarettes and vapes that may help adult smokers transition away from combustible tobacco.<\/p>\n But some newer businesses are taking the message a step further, promoting nicotine not just as a smoking alternative, but as a tool for focus, productivity and performance.<\/p>\n The website of one brand, Athletic Nicotine<\/a>, invites customers to \u201cjoin the movement of winners balancing mind and body while crushing the challenges of the day.\u201d<\/p>\n Lucy<\/a>, a nicotine pouch company Asprey has invested in, promotes its products for people who \u201cuse nicotine to focus better, think deeper, chill out smoother and inspire creativity.\u201d<\/p>\n Famed podcaster Joe Rogan has cited nicotine pouches as a tool for focus and energy. Ultra Pouches\/Instagram<\/p>\n On social media, posts from manufacturers like Zone<\/a> depict a person working at a computer alongside \u201cLock In\u201d graphics and the caption \u201cNo need to step away.\u201d<\/p>\n The science behind nicotine\u2019s cognitive effects, however, is far less settled than the marketing suggests.<\/p>\n Research has shown<\/a> that nicotine can increase attention and working memory, improve synaptic signaling and neurotransmitter efficiency, and enhance motor control and reaction time during cognitive tasks.<\/p>\n But experts say those short-term effects don\u2019t necessarily translate into long-term brain benefits. <\/p>\n \u201cNicotine can make someone feel sharper, more alert and more focused in the short term. That effect is real,\u201d Dr. Fawad Mian<\/a>, founder of Ascend Regenerative, who is board-certified in neurology, clinical neurophysiology and sleep medicine.<\/p>\n Conservative media personality Tucker Carlson co-founded a brand of nicotine pouches known as \u201cALP\u201d in 2024. ALP Supply Co. LLC<\/p>\n \u201cThe concern is that the same pathways that create that focus effect also drive dependence. Over time, the brain adapts, and the person may then need nicotine just to feel normal.\u201d<\/p>\n Some proponents argue the stimulant could offer benefits beyond focus, including protection against age-related cognitive decline.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s compelling research showing that regular users have lower rates of Alzheimer\u2019s and Parkinson\u2019s disease,\u201d Asprey said.<\/p>\n In one study<\/a>, nicotine was found to slow age-related cognitive decline and boost natural chemicals that protect the brain. In another<\/a>, it appeared to improve performance in those with lower baseline scores \u2014 which Asprey said suggests it may restore cognitive efficiency rather than artificially overstimulating high performers.<\/p>\n Whether nicotine can actually protect against neurodegenerative disease remains unclear.<\/p>\n \u201cI do take the studies seriously,\u201d Mian said. \u201cSmokers get Parkinson\u2019s disease less often. However, when patches were given to patients, they didn\u2019t have the expected effect.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIn patients with early Parkinson\u2019s, there was no clear benefit aside from temporary cognitive improvement,\u201d he explained. \u201cIt didn\u2019t change how they functioned every day.\u201d<\/p>\n Biohacker Dave Asprey is among the most prominent voices touting nicotine as a tool for enhancing cognitive performance. The Washington Post via Getty Images<\/p>\n Other experts say the early research is intriguing \u2014 but not enough to justify widespread nicotine use as a preventative tool. <\/p>\n \u201cThe associations are there, and the mechanisms are plausible as judged by animal studies, but the clinical trials that exist assess effects on individuals already diagnosed with the disorders and don\u2019t consistently demonstrate efficacy regardless,\u201d said Dr. Nehal Vadhan<\/a>, director of Northwell Health\u2019s Feinstein Family Human Neuropsychopharmacology Lab. <\/p>\n \u201cTherefore we would not want to introduce a potentially dependence-forming substance as a widespread strategy for prevention in healthy people, even if the intention is good and the disorders are profoundly impairing.\u201d<\/p>\n Mian agreed. \u201cCurrently, we lack strong human evidence that it slows brain aging, protects long-term memory, or meaningfully improves mitochondrial health over the long term,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a short-term protective effect on mitochondrial health, but more studies are needed to see how this affects things in the long run.\u201d<\/p>\n The biggest concern among experts is not whether nicotine can provide a short-term boost \u2014 but what happens when people use it regularly over time.<\/p>\n While nicotine may improve focus, experts caution against its use over concerns about addiction. (Pictured: Jillian Michaels, who has spoken about using nicotine gum to manage her ADHD and protect her brain.) Getty Images<\/p>\n The main risk doctors know about now, Vadhan said, is forming a dependence on nicotine.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile everyone agrees that tobacco consumption is considerably worse, there aren\u2019t long-term studies to demonstrate complete safety of pouches, especially when you consider all the additives,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n Asprey acknowledged that not all pouches are created equal, saying it\u2019s \u201cworth being selective\u201d if you\u2019re planning to buy a tin. <\/p>\n \u201cYou want pharmaceutical-grade nicotine from a reputable brand, and it\u2019s a good idea to do a little research into the pouch material itself,\u201d he said. \u201cSome pouches on the market may expose you to microplastics, and that\u2019s the last thing you want sitting in your mouth for an extended period.\u201d<\/p>\n In the end, Mian said there are other things to focus on before reaching for nicotine to improve performance \u2014 at least until the research catches up.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you want to help your memory, focusing on sleep<\/a>, diet<\/a>, exercise<\/a>, controlling your blood pressure<\/a> and blood sugars, learning new things<\/a> and staying socially active <\/a>are much safer alternatives that avoid addiction or potential long-term health consequences,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cNicotine may act like a short-term cognitive stimulant,\u201d Mian added, \u201cbut it has not earned the label of a brain-health supplement just yet.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t