Coffee eases cigarette cravings through compounds other than caffeine. A study in Neuropharmacology found that choline and a compound called n-MP in roasted coffee act on nicotine receptors. That explains why many smokers find a morning cup takes the edge off the craving.
Summary: Cigarette smoking has dropped a lot in the US. Yet it is still the leading cause of preventable deaths. Smokers are known to crave cigarettes in the morning after a night without nicotine. Smokers also like a cup of coffee in the morning. A new study shows coffee contains natural compounds that can act on nicotine receptors in the brain. That can help ease nicotine cravings.
Cigarette smoking has dropped in the US, but it is still the leading preventable cause of death. It causes about half a million deaths each year. US smoking rates fell from 20% in 2005 to about 12.5% in 2020. But the picture is not all rosy, because new threats keep coming up. Cigarette smoking is falling, but more young adults now vape. Many vaping juices contain a lot of nicotine. These vaping liquids are much safer than smoking cigarettes. Still, they are harmful. They also tend to cause nicotine dependence. Nicotine craving is strongest in the morning. That is because many people are addicted to nicotine and depend on it in mind and body. Nicotine also changes the brain. So people addicted to nicotine find it hard to start the day without a dose. Many regular smokers have a cup of coffee in the morning. They say it helps them feel fresh. Most people, and most researchers, assumed this came from the caffeine in coffee. But a new study shows the benefit may also come from other molecules in well-roasted coffee. The urge to smoke in the morning is strongest because a night without nicotine throws the brain’s nicotine receptors off. A new study now shows coffee’s benefit is not just from caffeine. Coffee has other compounds that may help fix this receptor problem. In the new study, researchers found a molecule in coffee that can act on nicotine receptors. The study was published in the journal Neuropharmacology. Researchers say it is well known that many heavy smokers like a cup of coffee with a cigarette in the morning. They report feeling more relief. Yet this link between coffee and smoking has been poorly studied. In a new lab study, researchers found two new ways coffee may help ease nicotine cravings. First, they put a roasted coffee solution on cells that carry certain nicotine receptors. The researchers found that choline in coffee can affect α7 receptors. Another compound in coffee, called n-MP, can affect α4β2 receptors. The n-MP compound was especially good at adjusting nicotine receptors. This is one of the first studies to show that a morning cup of coffee is not just about caffeine. It is also the first study to show coffee can ease nicotine cravings in more than one way. It could also pin down how it works. Finally, it shows a morning cup of coffee has many benefits. Researchers said they were curious that smokers like coffee in the morning and like to pair smoking with alcohol in the evening. How alcohol affects nicotine receptors is well understood. How coffee affects them is not. Many health effects of coffee are poorly understood, because studies mostly focus on caffeine. Many people assume all of coffee’s effects come from caffeine. Yet it is no secret that other caffeine-rich drinks do not act like coffee. So it is now clear there is more to a cup of coffee than caffeine. A cup of coffee in the morning may also help cut cigarette cravings. So it may have a role in managing nicotine addiction.
Frequently asked questions
Can coffee help with nicotine cravings?
Yes. A lab study published in Neuropharmacology found that roasted coffee contains compounds that act on the brain’s nicotine receptors. Choline in coffee affects α7 receptors, and a compound called n-MP affects α4β2 receptors. By working on those receptors, a cup of coffee may help ease the receptor problem behind cigarette cravings. That fits what many smokers say about their morning cup.
Why do coffee and cigarettes go together?
Many heavy smokers have a cup of coffee with their first cigarette of the day. They say the pair brings more relief. After a night without nicotine, the brain’s nicotine receptors are off balance and the craving is sharp. Compounds in coffee act on those same receptors. That may explain why the morning cup takes the edge off.
Is it the caffeine in coffee that eases cravings?
Not only the caffeine. Most people and researchers assumed coffee’s effects came from caffeine. This study points to other molecules in well-roasted coffee, choline and n-MP, that act on nicotine receptors. It is also the first study to show coffee can work on cravings in more than one way. Other caffeine-rich drinks do not have the same effect as coffee.
Why are nicotine cravings worse in the morning?
Nicotine cravings peak in the morning because the brain has gone all night without nicotine. That withdrawal leaves nicotine receptors working poorly. People addicted to nicotine depend on it in both mind and body. Nicotine also changes the brain. So many find it hard to start the day without a dose.
Is vaping a way around nicotine addiction?
No. Smoking rates have fallen, but more young adults now vape. Many vaping liquids carry a lot of nicotine. Vaping is much safer than smoking cigarettes. Yet it is still harmful and still tends to cause nicotine dependence, so the craving cycle stays in place.
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Sources
- Papke RL, Karaffa M, Horenstein NA, et al. Coffee and cigarettes: Modulation of high and low sensitivity α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors by n-MP, a biomarker of coffee consumption. Neuropharmacology. 2022;216:109173. PMID 35772522 · DOI 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2022.109173.