I asked somebody who looked like they might know the answer this question, privately, in a whisper, but they’ve not responded and so I am asking here (and because I keep forgetting to ask a nurse/friend when I see him who smokes but that I’m trying to convert to snuff but who might also know): Somewhere along the line I got the idea that both alcohol and smoking ‘depletes your system of vitamins’ – especially vitamin C but evidently other ones as well. I’m sorry this question is so vague, but that’s been my understanding of the statement/concept (vague) I’m more inclined to believe this more about alcohol than I am about smoking, but still, I wonder: 1st: has anybody else ever heard that about smoking (cigarettes)? 2nd: does anybody know if its true then, if we’re better off in the vitamin-depleting (or any other depleting) department when it comes to snuff? would snuff taking also be depleting us of vitamins etc like smoking, or no? This is kind of extra relevant to me because I already actually have a couple of known vitamin deficiencies (been tested, found to have the deficiencies and am now under treatment for them with prescription injections and pills I am supposed to take once a day plus I take a basic generic all purpose multivitamin for any others because as most people know, one vitamin always needs another etc in order to work)
At one time, doctors were recommending that smokers take additional amounts of C (100 mg a day as opposed to the RDA of 60 mg). I don’t know if that is still current thinking. No real data on smokeless tobacco & vitamin depletion that I know of. Since you’re already undergoing prescription vitamin therapy, I wouldn’t think that you would have a problem.
Lung function loss, smoking, vitamin C intake, and polymorphisms of the glutamate-cysteine ligase genes. Siedlinski M, Postma DS, van Diemen CC, Blokstra A, Smit HA, Boezen HM. Department of Epidemiology, University Medical Center Groningen, E3.29, PO Box 196, 9700 AD Groningen, The Netherlands.RATIONALE: Smoking-induced oxidative stress contributes to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a lung disease characterized by low lung function and increasing mortality worldwide. The counterbalance for this effect may be provided by, for example, increased intake of the antioxidant vitamin C or endogenously acting antioxidant enzymes like glutamate-cysteine ligase (GCL), which is responsible for glutathione biosynthesis. OBJECTIVES: To investigate associations of functional polymorphisms in GCL subunits (GCLM and GCLC) with lung function level and its longitudinal course, with vitamin C and smoking habits as potential interactive factors. METHODS: Two independent general population samples (Doetinchem, n = 1,152, and Vlagtwedde-Vlaardingen, n = 1,390) with multiple lung function (FEV(1), VC) measurements were genotyped for three polymorphisms (C[-129]T, C[-588]T, and a trinucleotide GAG repeat [TNR]) in the subunits of GCL. Genetic effects on lung function level and decline were estimated using linear regression and linear mixed effect models adjusted for confounders. Findings were further investigated for interactions with vitamin C intake in the Doetinchem cohort. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: GCLC polymorphisms were significantly associated with lower lung function levels in interaction with pack-years smoked in both cohorts. TNR variants in GCLC were associated with accelerated FEV(1) decline in both cohorts in interaction with pack-years. All significant effects were specifically present in subjects within the lowest tertile of vitamin C intake. CONCLUSIONS: GCLC is a novel susceptibility gene for low level of lung function in two independent populations. We provide suggestive evidence that this occurs due to an interaction between GCLC polymorphisms, smoking, and low vitamin C intake, which all contribute to the oxidative burden.Link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18420959That being said, i don’t think snuff taking requires increasing the uptake of vitamin C in itself however i advocate taking massive doses daily anyway (>=500 mg) due to the fact that i know only of positive effects and of no side-effects . Vitamin C is water soluble and the excess is excreted pretty fast.Drink plenty of water. I buy mine in bulk 300g containers.Note: I’m not a doctor nor med student , i just like to read medical studies.
I always felt like hell after a day of heavy smoking. Now if I have two in a day I’ll notice it the next day. I never thought of it as vitamin deficiency and now two probably wouldn’t deplete anything. I have had many days of heavy snuffing and chain-snusing (even more nic) and have never noticed anything like I did when I used to smoke. Drinking…well there’s a whole host of things alcohol does to the body. I’d guess the diuretic properties of alcohol are most in play but I’d suspect that the other chemicals in cigs causes the problems rather than the nicotine. Thank God I’m not a doctor.
I cannot point you to the research right now, but from the stuff I have read in the past, smoking depletes the body of vitamins A, C and E, along with several of the B vitamins (particularly folic acid and B12). Further, smokers need more of those vitamins to counteract some of the negative effects of smoking. My understanding was that it wasn’t so much the nicotine (which may have some effect on niacin, or nicotinamide, vitamin B3) but rather the junk you get from smoking ANYTHING. My chiropractor recommends that smokers also get extra vitamin D (1000-3000 IU/day) to help counteract some of the negative effects of smoking. Supplementation is generally safe and pretty cheap, so it is probably a good idea. It’s hard to get adequate vitamins and minerals from food nowadays - most “fresh” food is nutritionally deficient. I haven’t come across anything suggesting that snuff depletes the body of anything. Like I said above, most of the dangers of smoking are because of inhaling SMOKE particles and carbon monoxide (and ammonia, carpet glue, radioactive polonium, cadmium etc. - all the crap they put into cigarette tobacco). So, beyond some speculated connection between nicotine intake and lower niacin levels (which may not be causative, and can be easily fixed with a multi-vitamin or a nice little niacin pill) it doesn’t look like you should have too many worries about smokeless tobacco as far as vitamins are concerned. Just stuff I have read over the years.
For sure your body uses Vitamine C’s to break down the toxics in sigarette smoke - Never read anything about Snuff. But if you think a little logical : Nicotine = poision for one’s body - So i’m sure it has some effect. I take a 1000Mg Vitamine C, Fish-Oil tablets, Vitamine D during winter on daily bases. I can’t remember being sick for about 10 years now ( even when I was smoking ). So, yeah, use some Vitamine C for sure, it doesn’t harm and give’s you a better resistance. I must say I also eat a LOT of fruit and vegetables on daily bases, and go to Burger King once a week, and I like my Beers. It’s all about things being in the right proportions I guess.
One thing to is pretty much everything your body does uses vitamins. Vitamins are basicly one of the things your body uses to function so pretty much everything uses vitamins. If you excercise it’s really important to use vitamins. So of course something like smoking that will damage your body will use more vitamins (what ever ones are used to repair the damage).