'Nicotine is GOOD for you': Scientist employed by cigarette manufacturers claims highly addictive drug makes your brain work better



David O'Reill, scientific director for British American Tobacco said nicotine makes a person's brain work better

Health experts have branded the claim 'irresponsible' accusing him of trying to sell more cigarettes

Department of Health lists smoking as the cause of the most preventable deaths in the UK - reaching 80,000 in 2011



Scientist David O'Reilly, who works for the tobacco industry, said nicotine makes your brain work better

A scientist employed by one of the biggest cigarette manufacturers today said nicotine is good for your health.

Group scientific director for British American Tobacco, which makes Benson & Hedges, Dunhill and Lucky Strikes, David O'Reilly has been branded 'irresponsible' and accused of telling just part of the story.

He told the Sunday Times Magazine smoking helps a person's brain work more effectively, adding: 'It helps with cognition, stimulation and relaxes.'

His controversial claim came just a week after New York University researchers warned smokers of ecigarettes could inhale more nicotine than those who smoke regular cigarettes.

Mr O'Reilly said likened taking a puff from an ecigarette to drinking a cup of coffee, as he claimed the practise was safe.

But the senior molecular biologist has come under fire from health experts, who have accused him of trying to help 'sell as many cigarettes as possible'.

Professor John Britton, chairman of the Royal College of Physicians tobacco advisory group and professor of epidemiology at the University of Nottingham, said one hit of nicotine can have positive effects on the brain.

But he warned the drug is highly addictive, leaving smokers needing to get their hit to enable their brains to function normally.

'It is true that in a single use, nicotine probably does improve concentration and hand-eye co-ordination, on a par with what you get from caffeine,' he said.

Health expert Professor John Britton claimed Mr O'Reilly's claim was 'irresponsible' accusing him of trying to 'sell more cigarettes'

'But it is also a powerfully addictive drug, and there comes a time when you need nicotine just for your brain to function normally.'

A spokesman for BAT, said the company 'absolutely' stood by Mr O'Reilly's statement.

He said Mr O'Reilly had not advised the drug was good for you in the sense of keeping well hydrated.

A spokeswoman for Cancer Research added: ' We don't fully understand the long-term effects of nicotine use.'