Happy October!

The rebranding of nicotine is well under way. Influencers and entrepreneurs are spreading the idea that the highly addictive substance can actually be good for you in small doses. They’re claiming it can improve attention span, mood and memory. Companies promoting tobacco-free nicotine products are leaning in to health, wellness and fitness associations, too.   

Lucy, which sells “intelligent nicotine” products, including flavored gum and pouches, states on its website that “whether you use nicotine to enhance focus, boost your energy, or relax – there’s a Lucy perfect for you.” (Fun fact: Its co-founders include two people who started Soylent, the meal-replacement brand once hailed by Silicon Valley.) Athletic Nicotine’s website features a young woman on a rowing machine with text that reads: “Next-level nicotine for the winner in all of us.” Another brand, Nic Nac, touts “premium ingredients” and tells consumers to use its lozenges “anywhere you need an edge, whether it’s in the gym, office, or on an airplane.” 

The companies each told me that their products are intended for existing adult nicotine consumers. In a statement, Athletic Nicotine said it does not market itself “as a health product, wellness supplement, or performance enhancer.” Lucy said that its website copy is meant to appeal to people who are already using nicotine for those purposes.

For years, influencers—from biohackers to MAHA adherents—have been talking about nicotine as a wellness product. Rather than cigarettes or vapes, they’ve promoted smoke-free nicotine formulations including lozenges, pouches and gums. Some tech startups offer free pouches as an employee perk to boost productivity.

There’s been some pushback: In 2023, the conservative commentator Tucker Carlson said that Philip Morris-owned Zyn nicotine pouches were a “powerful work enhancer” and “male enhancer.” The company distanced itself from Carlson and called his characterizations unscientific.  

It’s a familiar phenomenon in the era of D.I.Y. health: Influencers using anecdotal evidence and limited research to peddle the next holy-grail product. Their talking points can have powerful ripple effects for their followings. While nicotine products like pouches are deemed less harmful than cigarettes—which harm nearly every organ of the body—the substance is what makes tobacco products so addictive.

The pulmonologist Dr. Hasmeena Kathuria penned a column in the Washington Post last week debunking wellness claims about nicotine and underscoring its risks. She writes that nicotine activates the body’s fight-or-flight response, increases heart rate and blood pressure and can disrupt sleep. 

Researchers haven’t found an association between cognition and nicotine use, Melissa Little, an associate professor of public-health sciences at the University of Virginia—my alma mater—told me. She’s also director of the school’s Center for Nicotine & Tobacco Research.

“The evidence on the benefits of nicotine on memory, mood and metabolism is not well supported,” she said. 

She added that any mood improvements findings from nicotine use are primarily from “smokers who use nicotine replacement to manage withdrawal symptoms. Most nonsmokers find nicotine worsens their mood and even increases nausea.” Plus, the long-term health effects of nicotine products like pouches are still unknown, she said.

Meanwhile, sales of nicotine pouches increased by 319% between January 2023 and May 2026. 

And this week, the FDA announced it was considering changes to the process for authorizing new nicotine products. As my colleagues reported last month, the agency aims to make it easier for companies to get authorized to sell products that could be less harmful to smokers. 

Read on for top stories of the week, from the Journal and elsewhere. Send me your thoughts on this week’s newsletter and what you’d like to read about in future editions. You can contact me at sara.obrien@wsj.com. If you’re reading this in your inbox, you can just hit reply!

The WSJ Wellness newsletter takes you inside the business and culture of wellness—and how it affects you. If you’re not subscribed, sign up here.

• Forget Abs. Fit Women Now Want to Show Off Their Biceps. As GLP-1s and cosmetic interventions make toned stomachs more attainable, some women are putting in the work on their arm muscles. 

• Why Are So Many Adults Cutting Off Their Parents? Many experts believe that estrangements between adult children and their parents are becoming an epidemic in the U.S., just like divorce in the 1970s.

• When Menopause Hit, I Went on a Wellness Binge. After menopause turned her life upside down, one woman visited luxury medical spas in Italy, Mexico and Austria in search of relief.

• A Girl Nearly Died After Drinking Raw Milk. The State Did Little to Punish the Unlicensed Farmer Who Sold It (ProPublica) 

• What If You Never Cooked Again? (Grubstreet)

• Rural MAHA followers say Trump hasn’t improved health of their communities, an AP-KFF poll finds (AP)

The case at Cornell University has reignited conversations about campus sexual assault. A former student alleges that in 2024, seven fraternity members drugged her with ketamine and then gang-raped her. New York prosecutors reopened an investigation this week after she filed a recent civil suit, which accused the university of failing to protect her after she reported the incident to campus police at the time. The flood of social-media posts feels reminiscent of the #MeToo era, with people drawing attention to Jane Doe’s story, sharing their own experiences with sexual assault and calling on others to not look away.

I’m Sara O’Brien, a reporter covering the intersection of culture, health and wellness. Each week, I’ll take you inside the latest health trends to help you understand where they came from, who’s profiting and whether they’re worth your money. Send me feedback or questions at sara.obrien@wsj.com (if you’re reading this in your inbox, you can just hit reply). Got a tip for us? Here’s how to submit.