An Ohio University researcher examines how nicotine affects the body’s fat metabolism and may contribute to heart damage, as newer nicotine products grow in popularity.
Kevin Lee, an associate professor of biomedical sciences at OU, received funding from the American Heart Association to study how nicotine changes biological processes tied to fat breakdown and cardiovascular health.
The grant supports salaries, lab supplies, mouse husbandry and data analysis costs for echocardiograms, microscopy and metabolic testing of the mice.
Lee’s research focuses on adipose tissue, the body’s fat storage and how nicotine disrupts its normal function.
Working with Vishwajeet Puri, executive director of the Diabetes Institute at OU, Lee conducts experiments in the Academic and Research Center, injecting nicotine into fat cells and mice to track physiological changes.
Adipose tissue is made up of adipocytes, or fat cells, which store energy for the body, according to Britannica. Under normal conditions, the body breaks down this fat through a process called lipolysis when energy is needed.
“If you’re running a race, your body needs those fatty acids for energy, and so (adipose tissue) would break down (lipolysis) ... and you would use those fatty acids,” Lee said.
However, nicotine can trigger that process without the body requiring energy, releasing excess fatty acids into the bloodstream. Lee said those elevated levels can damage organs, including the heart.
“This process occurs, but very unregulated because you don't actually need that excess energy,” Lee said.
The study’s first objective is to understand the molecular mechanisms behind nicotine-induced fat breakdown. A second phase aims to block the signals between fat tissue and the brain that trigger the release of fatty acids.
Lee is also working with Dr. Theodore Friedman of the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, whose previous research showed possible methods to interrupt these pathways.
Friedman has a patent on a chamber to give e-cigarettes to mice and specializes in finding how nicotine and e-cigarettes affect the liver, muscle and heart.
The research comes as nicotine use continues to evolve, particularly among younger populations.
Historically, tobacco companies marketed nicotine products to women by emphasizing weight loss, according to the American Lung Association.
“As a result of this successful targeting, disease risks from smoking have risen dramatically for women over the past 50 years and are now equal to those for men for lung cancer,” the American Lung Association states.
Now, nicotine marketing targets younger users through flavored products. As a result, the top three most advertised brands are also the most prevalent among middle and high school smokers.
Lee said college students' use of nicotine is a “growing epidemic”.
Mike Carson, owner of The Shack convenience store in Athens and an OU graduate, said mint-flavored ZYN nicotine pouches are among the most popular products, especially on a smoke-free campus.
“I think that kind of gives people a different alternative to still get their nicotine in public spaces,” Carson said.
Nicotine pouch sales in the U.S. increased by 250.8% between January 2023 and August 2025, according to the CDC Foundation.
Carson said cigarettes were the most common product when he attended OU, but e-cigarettes have since become more prevalent.
While alternatives such as vaping and pouches may reduce some harms associated with smoking, Lee said their long-term effects are unclear.
“We don’t actually see (heart disease and heart failure) quite yet in the population because we are looking at 21-year-old kids who generally don’t die of a heart attack, even if they are doing things bad for their health,” Lee said.
