One of the factoids mentioned in Good Calories, Bad Calories was that nicotine is the most effective weight-loss drug in history. It is an analogue of epinephrine, and as such, it stimulates lipolysis in fat cells.

There might also be some hormesis factor in there.

Many thoughts but only a few minutes at lunch break to comment -

1) You have already noted negative correlation. Correlation is not causation.

2) Tolerated is not optimal. Moreover tolerance in the present (possibly with sub clinical issues) does not guarantee lack of consequences in the future.

3) Kurt Harris wrote about this when discussing the Kitavins (http://www.archevore.com/panu-weblog/2009/11/2/im-so-bored-with-the-kitavans.html) "Just like their apparant tolerance of smoking tells us absolutely nothing about whether it is good to smoke. It only confirms that smoking on the SAD is much worse. That is very interesting, but hardly an endorsement for smoking, is it?

So bottom line from my point of view - If you want to smoke, then smoke. But trying to find hormetic benefits, etc to justify it is a waste of your time. I don't smoke, but I still drink a fair bit (wine, vodka, mostly avoid beer). While resveratrol and polyphenol consumption might be beneficial, it would disingenuous to "justify" consumption on this basis - I LIKE A GOOD BUZZ FROM TIME TO TIME. Hormesis be damned :-)

Be honest with yourself and live with the consequence. Life is short. Enjoy it but don't fool yourself would be my message.

Take Care, Aravind

I think this question is a great way to bring up something that is easy to forget:

Ancestral (X) might not be the same as Historical (X) might not be the same as Modern (X).

I was tempted to use [!=] as the mark here to indicate "does not equal", instead of "might not be the same as" but that will not be true in every case.

We have already tried to address this where X = wheat in at least one instance: http://paleohacks.com/questions/10455/how-has-wheat-changed-in-the-usa-in-the-last-60-years

In this case, where X = tobacco there are some indications that ancestral tobacco might best be represented by Nicotiana Rustica, Nicotiana benthamiana, and Nicotiana gossei. Compared to the more modern-bred Y1 (bred by Brown & Williamson for high nicotine content), and you will see broad differences.

If you go searching for medical papers with possible benefits of Nicotiana rustica you will find some cool ones, including:

FOR HEALTH: Analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of Nicotiana rustica total extract http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13880200902896020?journalCode=phb

FOR RELIGIOUS PURPOSES: On the Use of Tagetes lucida and Nicotiana rustica as a Huichol smoking mixture: the Aztec “Yahutli” with suggestive hallucinogenic effects http://www.springerlink.com/content/u230g665237r2772/

If you would like to see a general archeology-type document concerning Nicotiana rustica, then Nicotiana sp. Seeds are the most commonly identified part of the tobacco plant recovered from archaeological sites. where the fun compound word "Paleoethnobotanists" is used.

Enjoy learning more! I did try raising Nicotiana rustica from seed as a natural pest control and pretty border flower a few years back... Can't tell you much about smoking it, tho.

Interesting papers to consider on this issue:

Carbon monoxide has anti-inflammatory effects involving the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway http://www.nature.com/nm/journal/v6/n4/abs/nm0400_422.html

The vagus nerve and the nicotinic anti-inflammatory pathway http://www.nature.com/nrd/journal/v4/n8/abs/nrd1797.html

Nicotine and Biochanin A, but Not Cigarette Smoke, Induce Anti-Inflammatory Effects on Keratinocytes and Endothelial Cells in Patients with Behçet's Disease http://www.nature.com/jid/journal/v127/n1/full/5700492a.html

Carbon Monoxide: Innovative Anti-inflammatory Properties of an Age-Old Gas Molecule http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/152308602753666361

Inhibition of Lung Carcinogenesis by Black Tea in Fischer Rats Treated with a Tobacco-specific Carcinogen: Caffeine as an Important Constituent http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org.ezproxy.umuc.edu/content/58/18/4096.short

There are also a couple of blogs out there that discus this here is one: http://mangans.blogspot.com/

He links out to a couple other blogs who look into this issue as well.

You are not smoking just tobacco, unfortunately, unless you grow and roll your own. Modern cigarettes have tons of additives. Not very Paleo.

I don't smoke, but I eat a lot of self-smoked meat. Plain woodsmoke on plain meat has no appetite suppressing properties, and if anything makes the meat more appetizing. My concern is similar to a smoker's. What is all that partially combusted wood residue doing to my GI tract? If it wrecks lungs does it damage colons? Any references or experiences are appreciated.

Check out the therapeutic uses of nicotine. Also, smoking or nicotine potentially keeps celiac disease latent or in other words some studies suggest that cigarette smoking truly protects against the development of adult coeliac disease.

We all sometimes get so focused on the nutritional/dietary aspects of things when we are talking paleo/primal that we forget that there might be other explanations as well. Just gonna toss this thought out there (grin) Tobacco smoke will chase away creepy-crawlies and flying pests without you having to roast yourself next to a smokey fire.

You need to google cigarettes and hormesis. That is probably the mechanism though which it works beneficially. You might want to try hanging out on this website which is entirely devoted to the subject of hormesis.

Adam C's response rings closest to what I've heard to be true.

I don't have any sources, so obviously take this how you like... but I have heard that 'sacred' and 'ceremonial' tobacco plants would induce hypnotic psychedelic states in the smoker.

I attended a sweat lodge once, we were instructed to bring cherry pipe tobacco, because that was this particular Grandfather's favorite. It was used as aromatherapy (among other herbs) by throwing it on the red-hot rocks (also called Grandfathers). There were also a few points where we passed around a pipe of tobacco inside the dome.

So, in that situation, I certainly reached a psychedelic mind state while using commercial-grade tobacco. It's pretty safe to say I would've without it, though.

All that aside, if I want to reach a psychedelic state, I'll use the usual suspects.

There is not a drug in the world that crushes me with horrible negative side effects the way tobacco does. Alcohol is in second place, but pound for pound... the smallest amount of tobacco will sicken me for days...

If you want help raising your metabolism, there are plenty of more sensible choices. Caffeine, cayenne, cinnamon, Adderall... and the list for effective appetite suppressants is even more extensive.

Personally, I can't see any reason to justify tobacco use. But, if it doesn't make you feel like crap, I guess that's an entirely different situation.