Health report on snus.

[chadizzy1]

Although about Camel SNUS, the quote at the end is fantastic.

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http://www.healthline.com/blogs/smok...on-of-new.html

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Camel Snus Smokeless Tobacco - What is it?
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Jonathan Foulds, MA, MAppSci, PhD
2009 will see further expansion of new smokeless tobacco marketing in the United States, including the national launch of Camel Snus. So what is this product? Snus is a smokeless tobacco product that is very popular in Sweden. It has been used there for over 100 years and so there is reasonable epidemiological evidence on its health effects. Overall, Swedish snus appears to be much less harmful to health than cigarettes, and probably less harmful than other types of smokeless tobacco sold in the United States.
Some recent reports on the health effects of snus in Sweden can be found via the following links: http://sph.umdnj.edu/news/index.cfm?newsID=168
http://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/pubs/brochure.aspx?e=234
The main characteristics of Swedish snus are that (a) it is an oral tobacco product that has relatively low levels of various toxins, as compared with traditional US smokeless products and (b) it delivers moderately high levels of nicotine to the user.

A recent study by researchers at University of Minnesotta found that Camel snus had levels of carcinogenic tobacco-specific nitrosamines that were much lower than for traditional smokeless products (I.e less than 2 micrograms per gram for Camel Snus, versus 8 for Copenhagen and 12 for Kodiak). Levels of other carcinogens were also lower in Camel and other snus products than other tradional smokeless products. For example, while the new snus products had levels of benzo(a)pyrene of around 3 micrograms/gram, tradional smokeless tobacco products all had levels above 30, and Kodiak Wintergreen had a level of 57.

Camel snus is marketed in metal tins kept refrigerated in stores. Each tin contains 15 small sachets which look a bit like small tea bags, each containing flavored tobacco. When placed under the top lip for about 30 minutes the snus releases nicotine which is absorbed into the blood stream. It is unclear whether the current snus products being marketed in the US deliver enough nicotine to satisfy cravings for a cigarette and potentially help smokers quit. The evidence from Sweden is clear that a large number of Swedish men have successfully quit smoking by switching to snus.

It remains to be seen how the product will be received in the United States. If you want to give up smoking and may need some pharmacological support, it makes much more sense to use FDA approved medicines than to use unproven products that contain carcinogens (albeit in small quantities). However, if you want to continue to enjoy tobacco but want to use a less harmful product, then switching from cigarettes to snus makes sense - but only if accompanied by cessation of smoking.

You can find out more about snus and other potentially less harmful tobacco products at: http://tobaccoproducts.org/index.php/Camel_Snus

I’d be interested to hear from anyone who has tried any of these new types of tobacco product.

[chadizzy1]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/...00069294_x.htm

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Doctors: Swedish snus cut risk of cancer
Posted 5/9/2007 10:59 PM | Comment | Recommend E-mail | Save | Print |



By Maria Cheng, AP Medical Writer
LONDON — Smokers looking for a less harmful way to get their nicotine fix should switch to Swedish snus -- a smokeless tobacco that puts them at a significantly lower risk of cancer than cigarettes, doctors say in an article posted online Thursday in The Lancet.

Smokers are at least 10 times more likely to get lung cancer than people who use snus, studies showed -- a finding that could challenge bans on snus, particularly in the European Union.

All EU nations now prohibit snus, except for Sweden, which was granted an exemption because of the widespread use of the powder tobacco among Swedes. In the United States, smokeless tobacco is legal, and Swedish snus is being test-marketed in at least two U.S. cities.

"We should not delay in allowing snus to compete with cigarettes for market share," Dr. Jonathan Foulds of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and Dr. Lynn Kozlowski of the University of Buffalo said in analyzing two studies published in The Lancet.

"The banning or exaggerated opposition to snus in cigarette-rife environments is not sound public health policy," they wrote.

One study tracked the incidence of cancer over among nearly 280,000 Swedish men -- some of them snus users, some smokers and some who never used tobacco -- over a 20-year period. The other projected the effect on health if snus were introduced in Australia, where it currently is banned.

Swedish snus makers say the production process there is different from similar products in the U.S., adding that they work hard to remove carcinogens during manufacturing.

But snus is far from harmless; about 30 carcinogens have been found in the smokeless tobacco. In 2004, the Luxembourg-based European Court of Justice upheld a ban on the substance, ruling that the dangers of snus merited its being outlawed.

However, the two studies show snus may not be as harmful as previously thought, and far less harmful than cigarettes.

International researchers followed 279,897 male Swedish construction workers from 1978 to 1992. About 26 percent were snus users, 37 percent were smokers and the rest never used tobacco.

For smokers, the incidence rate of pancreatic cancer was 13 cases per 100,000. That rate dropped to 8.8 cases per 100,000 for snus users.

Among those who did not use tobacco, the rate was 3.9 cases per 100,000.

The study also showed that using snus did not increase the risk of oral cancer, though users might develop mouth lesions where the substance is placed since it generally is tucked inside the upper lip. In addition, using snus can complicate pregnancies and may raise the risk for heart disease.

In the modeling study, Australian researchers found that lifting current restrictions on snus would probably benefit public health if the smokeless tobacco is adopted by people who would otherwise continue smoking.

In Sweden, many smokers have switched to snus, and the country now has one of the lowest smoking rates in the world: less than 20 percent of the population.

Some experts worry that legalizing snus could still have harmful effects.

"As with all tobacco products, snus is not completely risk-free," said Jean King, director of tobacco control at Cancer Research UK. King, who was not connected to either study, said that while snus could help smokers quit, it would be important to prevent snus from being adopted by new users.

Smoking is the top risk factor for cancer, and approximately 1 billion people worldwide are addicted to the nicotine in cigarettes. Tobacco kills one in 10 people globally, and causes 4 million deaths every year.

"For a smoker, quitting all tobacco use is best, but failing that, switching to snus is a good idea," said Dr. Peter Hajek, professor of clinical psychology at Queen Mary University Hospital in London. Hajek was not involved in either study.

"If a sufficient proportion of smokers switched to snus, lifting the ban could be in the public interest," Hajek said.

[CoderGuy]

Great posts Chad! Thanks!

CG

[spirit72]

Re: Health report on snus.

However, if you want to continue to enjoy tobacco but want to use a less harmful product, then switching from cigarettes to snus makes sense - but only if accompanied by cessation of smoking.

And that's all we've ever been sayin.

[RRK]

"If a sufficient proportion of smokers switched to snus, lifting the ban could be in the public interest," Hajek said.[/b]

This ban could end up being a good thing. It seems like it is going to bring a lot more international attention to snus, and it may spur more respected people to make comments like this.

[sgreger1]

My bad I am a little behind on the times, what is being banned? And where?

[tom502]

Snus is banned for sale(but can be imported by individuals) in the European Union(excluding Sweden).

[sgreger1]

Snus is banned for sale(but can be imported by individuals) in the European Union(excluding Sweden).

lol, that sounds retarded. You can have it and buy it from elsewhere, but businesses cannot sell it in the EU, way to go small business. (Or should I say, big government)

[chadizzy1]

Snus is banned for sale(but can be imported by individuals) in the European Union(excluding Sweden).

lol, that sounds retarded. You can have it and buy it from elsewhere, but businesses cannot sell it in the EU, way to go small business. (Or should I say, big government)

From what I hear, the EU has a real "Quit or Die" idea over there, when switching from smoking to snus, or at least allowing it, could save alot of lives.

[sgreger1]

From what I hear, the EU has a real "Quit or Die" idea over there, when switching from smoking to snus, or at least allowing it, could save alot of lives.

EU sucks, this is why we don't need to have a NAFTA agreement here in the states. Gives them too much power.