SWEDISH SNUS

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Snus and Health

In recent years, a number of Swedish studies have been published on the effects of snus on health, based on Swedish conditions. Previously published research on oral tobacco products has mainly dealt with product types used in other parts of the world, such as India, meaning the results have not been representative. The information given here is a summary of current research on snus of the type used in Sweden and the rest of the Nordic region.

200 Years of Swedish Snus

Snus of the type used in the Nordic region has a history stretching back nearly 200 years. In Sweden, snus has been one of the dominant tobacco products for an entire century. Its health effects have now been well elucidated in a large number of Swedish scientific studies.

Snus is Fun



Current Research Findings

According to three Swedish studies (of which, two were conducted within the framework of the World Health Organizations MONICA project), the use of snus does not increase the risk of heart attack. However, there are contradictory results regarding the use of snus and other cardiovascular diseases. But snus does not appear to contribute to hardening of the arteries. The use of snus has a direct effect on heart rate and blood pressure. However, it is unclear whether snus causes chronic high blood pressure. Elevated blood pressure has been observed in some studies but not in others.

A Swedish study (within the framework of the World Health Organizations MONICA project) showed that the use of snus does not increase the risk of cerebral hemorrhage (stroke).

Results are contradictory regarding whether snus contributes to an increased risk of age-related diabetes (type-2 diabetes). The largest and most recent Swedish study (Eliason et al, Journal of Internal Medicine 2004) found no verifiably increased risk of age-related diabetes among snus users, although it did find this among smokers.

An expert panel has conducted a risk assessment (published in Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers 2004) of snus and other products. Choosing snus instead of smoking reduces the risk of death from a tobacco-related disease (defined as lung cancer, oral cancer, coronary diseases and premature death) by 90 percent, according to the assessment.