Study, 2014
Does the menstrual cycle phase affect how women respond to nicotine?
Yes. Women in the luteal phase showed reduced sensitivity to nicotine's effects and performed better on thinking tasks compared to women in the follicular phase, suggesting the luteal phase may reduce nicotine's rewarding effects.
What they did
Researchers gave intravenous nicotine to 115 men and 45 women aged 18-50 years. They tested 29 women in the follicular phase and 16 women in the luteal phase. They measured how the drug felt subjectively, thinking ability, physical responses, and withdrawal and craving symptoms. Menstrual cycle phase was confirmed through saliva testing.
What they found
Women overall had less intense subjective effects from nicotine but stronger physical responses than men. Women in the luteal phase reported weaker drug effects and performed better on thinking tasks compared to women in the follicular phase.
What it means for you
The luteal phase, when progesterone is high relative to estrogen, may reduce the rewarding effects of nicotine and protect against addiction. However, this was a single dose study in a laboratory, not real-world smoking behavior.
115
men studied
45
women studied
29
women in follicular phase
About the study
- Original title
- Subjective, physiological, and cognitive responses to intravenous nicotine: effects of sex and menstrual cycle phase
- Authors
- DeVito EE, Herman AI, Waters AJ et al.
- Journal
- Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
- Year
- 2014
- Study design
- Study
- What was tested
- Intravenous nicotine administration
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1038/npp.2013.339
Topics
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