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Long story short: Discovered my Vitamin A issues through smoking cigarettes.
Since college, I've been suffering from skin rashes, mild(seemingly random) bouts of depression, and a few other issues I prefer not to write about. The most profound problem was my inability to concentrate on work. I've been looking at my college essays, and I've noticed the paper's I wrote during my freshman year were much better than those written in my senior year. I found it surprising and even upsetting that I was becoming less articulate with age. I figured this was life, and I accepted it. Because of this, I decided I shouldn't continue my education. Fast forward to a year ago. Skin rashes still reappear every few weeks. Got shingles in my mid twenties(This surprised my doctor. He even called in another doctor to examine it.) Additionally, I've been having spinal issues and flexibility issues despite being at a low body fat and "fit." At one point, I couldn't even take my dog out for a walk that was longer than ten minutes without feeling pain in my bones.
This is despite my normal diet that including ample amounts of dairy, fish fruits, eggs, and vegetables. I grew up having vegetables for breakfast as well(One thing that I find surprising-As a child, I refused to eat fatty meat and chicken skins, salmon and fatty fish, colored vegetables, certain fruits, and butter. I only started eating fish, tomatoes, butter and cheese in an effort to assimilate with my peers in school. ) Additionally, my ability to concentrate completely disappeared. I struggled reading books, articles. For most of my twenties, I figured I was simply bored with school.
The reason I bring up cigarettes, is because I was always attracted to the smell of tobacco smoke. Even though i never smoked, I always liked the smell. I decided to smoke because I was at a low point. I was depressed. I couldn't enjoy the activities I enjoyed. I decided to pick up a box of cigarettes and smoke one. I've never found such a profound relief of symptoms. I started smoking only two cigarettes a day, and I felt like a different person. Depression lifted, concentration improved. I went to a bookstore, and picked out a boring Victorian novel, and found I was able to read chapter after chapter, without feeling distracted. My concentration seemed to return over a week.
Another thing also happened. My face changed. I didn't notice it at first, but my GF noticed it immediately. My skin, and my face changed. I became paler from being yellowish before, and my face straightened out. I went in that week to take a passport picture. Compared to my picture at 18, my face looked much more symmetrical at twenty eight. I was shocked.
In addition to all this, my back pain was temporarily relieved and my mood improved.
I knew smoking was bad long term, and I knew it was relieving some stress that was beyond the effects of nicotine. I tried vaporizing, but the effects were not the same. The pure nicotine was stimulating, but it was relieving this particular pain that I felt. I quit cigarettes, and everything returned with a vengeance.
I decided to research my genetic report for some unusual information. Turns out I have a low conversion rate for Beta Carotene to Vitamin A. This probably explains why I had such a strong aversion to vegetables, mayo, and eggs and I never touched fatty fish as a kid. Only in college did I start eating a more varied diet that including much more dairy, eggs, fish, and vegetables.
After quitting smoking I was reading about Vitamin A through 180D and raypeatforum. I cut out most Vit A food, and limited dairy products. Most of my symptoms started to improve within weeks. Things like depression and even back pain were fading in intensity. I was feeling the same relief as a I did when I was smoking. After doing some research, I found this study which helped explain what I was going through.
Smoking and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke decrease some plasma antioxidants and increase γ-tocopherol in vivo after adjustment for dietary antioxidant intakes
"After adjustment for dietary antioxidant intakes and other covariates, smokers and passive smokers had significantly lower plasma β-carotene concentrations than did nonsmokers (0.15, 0.17, and 0.24 μmol/L, respectively) and significantly higher γ-tocopherol concentrations (7.8, 7.8, and 6.5 μmol/L, respectively)"
This one too:
Destruction of tocopherols, carotenoids, and retinol in human plasma by cigarette smoke
Exposure to cigarette smoke led to the depletion of most of the lipophilic antioxidants in 20 mL human plasma. The order of disappearance was lycopene > alpha-tocopherol > trans-beta-carotene++ > (lutein + zeaxanthin) = cryptoxanthin > gamma-tocopherol = retinol. However, despite a substantial loss of alpha-tocopherol, there was very little peroxidative damage to lipids, and no detectable change in the content of polyunsaturated fatty acid-rich cholesterol esters.
After reducing Vitamin A, I hardly crave cigarettes.
That’s intriguing. I’m a long term smoker who quit most recently this past spring. I always felt a lot better in many ways while smoking but after 30 years of on and off smoking my lungs just couldn’t take it anymore. I started low A in the summer and this has been my easiest experience of staying off cigarettes so far and I haven’t gained an ounce from quitting.
Thanks for sharing that link YH.
Thanks so much YH for sharing this info.
I’ve had someone else report almost the same experience. He told me his smoking was keeping his digestive issues under control. He’s now been on the low vit A diet for about three months and has recently been able to stop smoking too, and without the gut issues flaring up. I didn’t know what to make of his report. But it now has a possible explanation. Thanks again.
Speaking of digestive issues, it appears my sensitivity to FODMAPS occurred when I stopped my 15 year chronic and excessive use of nicotine gum. Perhaps it's the nicotine that keeps retinol at bay. I am hoping a low Vitamin A diet will resolve my stomach issues. (I am also thinking it may be due to a lack of neurotransmitters as nicotine increases dopamine and serotonin but time will tell if a low Vitamin A diet is the answer)
Quote from Doublecapricorn on December 2, 2018, 7:24 amSpeaking of digestive issues, it appears my sensitivity to FODMAPS occurred when I stopped my 15 year chronic and excessive use of nicotine gum. Perhaps it's the nicotine that keeps retinol at bay. I am hoping a low Vitamin A diet will resolve my stomach issues. (I am also thinking it may be due to a lack of neurotransmitters as nicotine increases dopamine and serotonin but time will tell if a low Vitamin A diet is the answer)
There are some studies out there that show that nicotine increases stomach acid secretions in some people (and rats). If this has something to do with the way it acts on retinol, I don't know.
Quote from Guest on December 2, 2018, 7:39 amQuote from Doublecapricorn on December 2, 2018, 7:24 amSpeaking of digestive issues, it appears my sensitivity to FODMAPS occurred when I stopped my 15 year chronic and excessive use of nicotine gum. Perhaps it's the nicotine that keeps retinol at bay. I am hoping a low Vitamin A diet will resolve my stomach issues. (I am also thinking it may be due to a lack of neurotransmitters as nicotine increases dopamine and serotonin but time will tell if a low Vitamin A diet is the answer)
There are some studies out there that show that nicotine increases stomach acid secretions in some people (and rats). If this has something to do with the way it acts on retinol, I don't know.
Thank you!
Quote from ggenereux on December 2, 2018, 12:03 amThanks so much YH for sharing this info.
I’ve had someone else report almost the same experience. He told me his smoking was keeping his digestive issues under control. He’s now been on the low vit A diet for about three months and has recently been able to stop smoking too, and without the gut issues flaring up. I didn’t know what to make of his report. But it now has a possible explanation. Thanks again.
This might also have something to do with how countries who consume a lot of preformed Vitamin A(High Liver and Dairy consumption in France for example. Switzerland another) might be doing so well with regards to health and longevity. France and Switzerland have exceptionally high smoking rates, and most people likely hang around friends/family who smoke. From the study, it seems like inhaling cigarette smoke is enough to destroy retinol.
A dietitian I worked with told me that in the 1970's when she was doing her clinical rotation in the hospital they used to put people with GI issues on a nicotine patch.
Quote from Doublecapricorn on December 2, 2018, 7:24 amSpeaking of digestive issues, it appears my sensitivity to FODMAPS occurred when I stopped my 15 year chronic and excessive use of nicotine gum. Perhaps it's the nicotine that keeps retinol at bay. I am hoping a low Vitamin A diet will resolve my stomach issues. (I am also thinking it may be due to a lack of neurotransmitters as nicotine increases dopamine and serotonin but time will tell if a low Vitamin A diet is the answer)
Lately I've been thinking that cigarettes/nicotine lower oxidative stress in response to toxins and Vitamin A that is released into the blood. Theoretically, as the Vitamin A stores deplete, stress should be less intoxicating and more manageable.
Quote from Guest on December 1, 2018, 6:05 pmThat’s intriguing. I’m a long term smoker who quit most recently this past spring. I always felt a lot better in many ways while smoking but after 30 years of on and off smoking my lungs just couldn’t take it anymore. I started low A in the summer and this has been my easiest experience of staying off cigarettes so far and I haven’t gained an ounce from quitting.
Thanks for sharing that link YH.
I think Vitamin A is released into the blood during stress. Considering Fatty acids are mobilized with a rise in cortisol, Vitamin A and toxins are probably also released into the blood. The cigarette smoke is not affecting the rise in general stress, it is likely reducing the oxidative stress from the excessive release of Vitamin A into the serum. Maybe this is why some people are more "stress tolerant" than others. Lower oxidative stress due to lower toxins stored in the adipose tissue.
Fascinating. I too have a genetically low conversion rate for beta-carotene, which I discovered by uploading my ancestry data into Self Decode. I have noticed in recent years that I have dislike for many vegetables and an outright aversion to most cruciferous vegetables, except for cauliflower. I had thought that it was because of the sulfur. Anyway it is likely that my daughter inherited this missense gene. She has disabling mental illness and smokes a pack a day.
JudiBlueHen (in case it posts as guest)