Does nicotine affect muscle agains?

Yes, nicotine can seriously affect muscle growth.
It undermines your fitness results in multiple ways, making muscle gain a much more laborious process.
?? 1. Hormonal environment: Your "natural anabolic process" has been disrupted
Lowering testosterone levels: Testosterone is the core hormone for muscle synthesis. Studies have shown that the cells that produce testosterone in long-term smokers are damaged, resulting in a decrease in testosterone levels and directly hindering muscle growth.
Increase cortisol levels: Cortisol is a catabolic hormone. Nicotine stimulates the secretion of large amounts of cortisol, causing muscle tissue to break down and inhibiting muscle recovery.
This "decrease by one, increase by one" combination forces your body to switch from the "muscle-building mode" to the "decomposition mode".
?? 2. Blood Circulation: The "supply line" for the muscles has been cut off.
Vessel Contraction: Nicotine is a potent vasoconstrictor, which significantly reduces the blood flow to the muscles.
Oxygen and nutrient deficiency: Reduced blood flow means that the amount of oxygen delivered to the muscles and the key nutrients that promote recovery also decrease. Muscles are like being "starved" during training, and thus cannot effectively grow.
?? 3. Muscle Synthesis: Your "building materials" production has been hindered
Inhibiting protein synthesis: The basis for muscle growth is the rate of muscle protein synthesis. A study clearly indicates that the rate of muscle protein synthesis in smokers is significantly lower than that in non-smokers.
Activating muscle growth inhibitor: Nicotine increases the expression of "muscle growth inhibitor" in the body. This substance acts like a "brake" to inhibit muscle growth.
⏳ 4. Recovery Ability: Your "recovery period" has been indefinitely extended.
Delaying glycogen recovery: After training, muscles need to replenish fuel (muscle glycogen). Studies have shown that smoking impairs the insulin-dependent muscle recovery process, resulting in a significant slowdown in the recovery rate of muscle glycogen.
Hinders injury repair: Animal experiments have shown that nicotine interferes with the recovery of muscles from injuries. In mice exposed to nicotine, the strength of the muscles, after excessive use and injury, could only recover to 80% of the normal level.
⚖️ Truth Unveiled: The Contradictory "Short-Term Excitement" and "Long-Term Overdose"
Indeed, nicotine, as a neuroexcitant, seems to enhance attention and athletic performance in the short term. Some studies even found that a small amount of nicotine could have an extremely slight improvement in single power output within a short period. However, a study conducted on baseball players clearly observed that after ingesting nicotine, there was no increase in muscle strength.
For regular muscle-building training, the severe damage caused by nicotine to long-term recovery and hormonal balance far outweighs its insignificant short-term stimulating effect.
In summary, nicotine systematically undermines the physiological basis for muscle growth by disrupting hormonal balance, restricting blood supply, inhibiting protein synthesis, and disrupting the recovery process. If you have goals of building muscle, shaping your body, or improving your athletic performance, avoiding nicotine is one of the most effective investments you can make.