Dangers of chewing tobacco

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September 9th, 2015



Whether you call it smokeless tobacco, spit tobacco, chew, snuff, pinch or dip, all kinds of chewing tobacco are more harmful and addictive than you think. While evidence shows that smokeless tobacco may be less dangerous than cigarettes, long-term use of chewing tobacco can cause serious health problems. There’s no safe level of tobacco use. Many people don’t realize that smokeless tobacco is linked to more than a quarter of a million deaths worldwide each year. Researchers estimated in 2010 that smokeless tobacco caused 62,000 deaths from cancers in the mouth, pharynx and esophagus. Smokeless tobacco also caused more than 200,000 deaths from heart disease.

Chewing and other forms of smokeless tobacco products contain about 30 cancer-causing substances. Listed are some of the health problems related to smokeless tobacco:

Addiction: Like cigarettes, smokeless tobacco also contains nicotine. Users of both smokeless tobacco and cigarettes have comparable levels of nicotine in the bloodstream. Nicotine stays in the blood longer for users of smokeless tobacco than for smokers. Just like smoking a cigarette, withdrawal from smokeless tobacco causes intense cravings, increased appetite and irritability.

Cancer: Risk of esophageal, oral, and pancreatic cancer increases if you use chewing tobacco and other types of smokeless tobacco.

Heart Disease: Long term users of smokeless tobacco have an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. Some forms of smokeless tobacco increases your heart rate and blood pressure.

Precancerous Patches: Smokeless tobacco increases your risk of developing small white patches called leukoplakia. Wherever the chew is placed, it most often times where the patches will develop.

Cavities: Due to the high amounts of sugar chewing tobacco can cause tooth decay. Chewing tobacco can also irritate your gums and scratch away at enamel.

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Source For Various Content:

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=190427 http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/quit-smoking/in-depth/chewing-tobacco/art-20047428?pg=2