What Are The Health Risks Of Smokeless Tobacco?

Tobacco, as we all know, has various health risks. It is bad for the heart. It is bad for the lungs. It is bad for the overall health of a person.

What Are The Health Risks Of Smokeless Tobacco?

While one may think that smokeless tobacco is less harmful, it is actually the opposite. How? Well, you can check out the many health risks one is putting themself in danger of while going for smokeless tobacco in this article. 

What Are The Health Risks Of Smokeless Tobacco?

Health Risks Caused By Smokeless Tobacco

While smokeless tobacco products may decrease the harm that people might be exposed to,  these are still not safe alternatives to be adopted instead of smoking. They do contain nicotine and hence may cause the following health-related risks:

  • Addiction 

When it comes to tobacco products, Nicotine is one of the major chemicals found in them. This is what makes people addicted to such products. Smokeless or not, people are as vulnerable to get nicotine into their system as much or more as people who are used to smoking cigarettes. Withdrawal from smokeless tobacco is a similar struggle as with smoking. It can also cause one to experience intense cravings, irritability, along with a depressed mood.

  • Cancer 

Tobacco products can cause cancer. We all know that. And the consumption of chewing tobacco or any other smokeless tobacco products only increases this particular risk. One can suffer from cancer of the mouth, pancreas, and throat.

Smokeless tobacco products are harmful to the extent where they increase the risk of a person developing small white patches. These form in the mouth and are called leukoplakia. This is a condition where the patches are precancerous. It means that the person is at a higher risk for developing cancer in their body.  

  • Heart Disease 

There are many forms of smokeless tobacco products out there in the market. Some of those are capable of increasing one’s heart rate as well as blood pressure. In case one uses such smokeless tobacco products in the long-term, their chances for heart disease rise almost dramatically. There is also a risk of stroke which is also a serious issue for anyone. 

  • Dental Disease 

Smokeless tobacco products have sugar and other irritants. These involve one falling prey to various dental diseases like abrasion of teeth, cavities, teeth staining, gum disease, bad breath, receding gums, tooth loss, & bone loss around roots. Hence, smokeless tobacco products are not really ideal to keep one’s dental health in check. 

  • Pregnancy Risk 

When one is pregnant, one is not allowed to consume a certain number of things. This includes tobacco and tobacco products. So, even using smokeless tobacco products can run a high risk of causing harm to the baby. Consuming smokeless tobacco during the t8ime of pregnancy raises the risk of the low weight of the baby once it is born, stillbirth, and a variable heart rate in the infants.

  • Poisoning Risk 

The smokeless tobacco products come in various attractive flavors, Some even look like candy to entice the younger customers. However, consuming these can be harmful. How? Well, as we read earlier, there is nicotine in almost all tobacco products.

Even the smokeless ones. When one consumes these, they run a risk of poisoning. Nicotine poisoning could happen to children and may result in issues like breathing troubles, nausea, convulsions, vomiting, weakness, unresponsiveness, and even death. 

Conclusion 

With the above pointers, hope you get an idea about how harmful smokeless tobacco is. Even on par with the tobacco with smoke, in some cases. All in all, tobacco is still tobacco and it can harm you more than doing good. So, it is a good idea to go for some effective intervention like:

  • Use a telephone service, self-help material, or counseling to help and have support for  developing one’s coping skills.
  • A Nicotine patch, or lozenges, or gum could be used to help reduce the cravings for tobacco products.
  • Certain medications like 2 non-nicotine prescriptions can be taken to help decrease the nicotine withdrawal symptoms.

One can also take the help of a De-Addiction Specialist or a doctor to help them get rid of their compulsion to consume tobacco and help them live a long and healthy life. 

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