Smokeless tobacco no help for smoking cessation, raises heart risk

However, according to a new policy statement released by the American Heart Association, people who either chew or sniff smokeless tobacco products are at an increased risk of heart attack, strokes, and certain cancers.

"No tobacco product is safe to consume," lead writer of the policy statement, Mariann Piano, a professor in the department of behavioral health science at the University of Illinois at Chicago said.

The review is published online in 'Circulation,' Journal of the American Heart Association.

Backdrop data
A Swedish study that assessed smoking habit among Swedish men between 1976 and 2002 had shown a significant drop in cigarette smoking rates with a corresponding increase in the use of smokeless tobacco. Consuming smokeless tobacco was thus believed to aid smokers trying to quit the habit.

The trend is catching up in the U.S., too. With smoke-free air laws in order, smokeless tobacco products are being marketed as substitutes for cigarettes. Youngsters too are taking on to the habit deeming them to be safe, authors said.

"Scientists and policy makers need to assess the effect of 'reduced risk' messages related to smokeless tobacco use on public perception, especially among smokers who might be trying to quit," Piano said.

Use Nicotine-Replacement Therapy instead
Smokers who intend quitting the habit may switch to nicotine-replacement therapy instead, Piano averred.

Nicotine gums and patches, researchers said, are less addictive than smokeless tobacco "because of slower absorption, lower doses of nicotine, greater cost, lack of flavoring, sociocultural influences or a combination of such factors".

Also, they are used for shorter time spans and don’t expose users to tobacco carcinogens and oxidants, she added.

Recent research works show strong tie-ups between using smokeless tobacco products and corresponding increase in the odds of fatal heart attacks, strokes, and oral cancer.

Conversely, people who chew nicotine gum or use a nicotine patch that is latched to the skin run no such increased risk of heart attack or stroke, Piano said.

"Smokeless tobacco products are harmful and addictive and do not translate to a better alternative," she stated.

However, more research is required to "investigate factors associated with the initiation and use of smokeless tobacco products; the extent to which the use of smokeless tobacco products influences continued overall tobacco use; and the effect of risk reduction messages on public perception and on tobacco use and cessation," she said.