Nicotine and exercise performance: another tool in the arsenal or curse for anti-doping?

Excerpt

In this issue of EJAP, Johnston et al. (2018) report on the ergogenic aid of nicotine to enhance anaerobic performance in nicotine-naïve individuals. Here, the authors find that following oral consumption of 5 mg of nicotine, athletes who are nicotine naïve significantly increased their peak (and average) power output, as well as heart rate and blood pressure, which they attribute to nicotine’s sympathomimetic effect. While these are not the first data to make such an observation, the current study is notable for using a randomized, double-blind, cross-over design that delivered nicotine (or flavor-matched placebo) via orally-dispensed strips. It should be noted that the benefits of nicotine to athletic performance has been somewhat controversial, as some studies show benefits (e.g. Mündel and Jones 2006) whilst many others show marginal to no benefit (e.g. Fogt et al. 2016). But, most of the existing studies have significant limitations (such as lack of determination of nicotine levels as a manipulation check, lack of participant blinding or suitable placebo-control, and more tolerable delivery systems with fewer side-effects) leaving clear and robust interpretation of nicotine effects often difficult to make. Based on the strength of the current study design, these data certainly add credence to the potential benefit(s) of nicotine for repeated bouts of anaerobic exercise, and will likely embolden athletes to want to use nicotine to achieve that extra edge during athletic events. At present, professional anti-doping bodies do not ban nicotine, and so its use and interest among athletes is likely to increase. While the data by Johnston et al. provide robust evidence of the benefits of nicotine on repeated anaerobic performance, there are several points to further consider before athletes (particularly nicotine naïve) choose to take nicotine. …