Snus and Cancer Risk

by Anowar

Recently published reports on snus are confusing many snus consumers. Some researchers of Swedish National Institute claim that snus increases the risk of cancer and death from cardiovascular disease.

The sale of snus has increased in Sweden over a period of years, and more and more use snus. More than one in five men and one of 25 men use snus daily in 2005. An upward trend in recent years among young girls, gives particular cause for concern. Health effects of snus have thus of great importance and it has become increasingly urgent to enhance the understanding of snus effects on health.

With support from the National Public Health Institute, the Institute of Environmental Medicine (IMM) in collaboration with MEB (Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics) at the Karolinska Institute conducted a risk assessment based on new scientific findings that have emerged in recent years and reprocess its own research material. The results presented in a new report that we are on safer grounds in terms of the impact of snus has on health.

- The results deserve public attention. They contradict the widespread notion that snus would be innocuous. From a health as smoking should not be replaced by snus use of tobacco, but, says Director General Gunnar Ågren at the National Public Health Institute.

Scientists have made an overall assessment of experimental and epidemiological studies. The results suggest that the Swedish snus is carcinogenic. The cancer, for which evidence is strongest, is the cancer of the pancreas. Even in the case of cardiovascular diseases, research has yielded greater knowledge. Snus seems - unlike smoking - not to be an independent risk factor for the onset of heart attack. By contrast, support for the conclusion that snus increases the risk of dying of heart attacks due to increased risk of heart rhythm disturbances.

- Both the increased cancer risk as the increased death risk associated with heart attacks may be judged to be of considerable adverse public health importance, given the large number of users, nearly 900 000 people, "says Gunnar Ågren. The report also provides support for a restrictive approach to snus use during pregnancy.

About the Author

I have running my home based business for several years. www.swedsnus.com is my first site to market Swedish snus worldwide to help people who are struggling to quit smoking. Visit my site for info on Swedish Snus!