For months, US lawmakers have been bickering over Zyn, a popular brand of nicotine pouches.
At one press conference In late January, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer warned that children would become addicted to the bags. He also called on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate the products’ health effects and marketing tactics.
Schumer’s comments sparked outrage among Republicans. “Big Brother Schumer doesn’t want us to chew or smoke. Now he is against an alternative that has helped many quit.” tweeted New York Rep. Richard Hudson, along with a photo of himself in full camouflage, holding up a can of Zyn.
According to the CDCIn 2021, 2.1% of adults reported currently using smokeless tobacco products. In 2023, the agency found it that 1.5% of high school students reported using smokeless tobacco in the past 30 days.
Although these numbers are low, the popularity of nicotine pouches has increased. According to a study, Zyn sales increased 58.8% in the US alone between 2019 and 2022. reportand then climbed a further 66% in the third quarter of 2023.
We looked at the health risks associated with nicotine pouches and whether they can help people quit smoking, as some advocates claim.
What are nicotine pouches?
Nicotine bags are small, porous, tea bag-like products that users place in the mouth, between the upper lip and the gums. They contain nicotine, flavorings and other fillers, but not tobacco. The nicotine is absorbed through the gums and saliva.
Pouches are sold in small cans, each containing approximately 15 to 20 units, depending on the brand.
Most brands recommend using their pouches for a maximum of one hour. The sachets are available in different flavors and strengths, ranging in strength between 3 mg and 12 mg; a typical cigarette contains 10 to 14 mg nicotine.
Unlike dip tobacco, which users also place in the corners of their mouths, nicotine pouches are often advertised as “spit-free”.
Is nicotine harmful?
When US customers visit the websites of nicotine pouch brands, a large banner at the top blares: “WARNING: This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical.”
This is evident from a research report by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (Nida) explains that nicotine is addictive; Like other “drugs of abuse,” it increases levels of dopamine in the brain’s reward circuits, motivating users to continue using it. Repeated exposure to these drugs, such as nicotine, can change the brain’s sensitivity to dopamine, meaning you need to consume more of the substance to experience the same effects.
When the body becomes dependent on nicotine, using the drug for too long can cause regular users to experience “irritability, cravings, depression, anxiety, cognitive deficits and attention deficits,” the report said.
Although the risks of tobacco and cigarette smoking are well known (according to the CDC(including cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung disease, diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), the long-term risks of nicotine use alone not fully understood.
Are nicotine pouches better for you than smoking cigarettes?
“There is no hard evidence that indicates exactly what the risk level of these products is compared to cigarettes,” said Dr. Benjamin Chaffee, professor at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Dentistry and the UCSF Center for Tobacco Control . Research and education. He adds that since the pouches, unlike cigarettes, do not involve combustion and inhalation of smoke, “it is reasonable to expect these products to be less dangerous than smoking cigarettes.”
Still, Chaffee cautions that there is no concrete evidence that these nicotine products help people quit smoking regular cigarettes. They can even make quitting nicotine more difficult.
“Many people who smoke cigarettes and try to use, for example, an e-cigarette or another type of nicotine product, end up using both products and remain dependent on nicotine,” he says. “So it doesn’t necessarily reduce smoking of old-fashioned cigarettes.”
This may be partly due to the way the body absorbs nicotine. A November 2023 study in the medical journal Addiction found that using nicotine pouches does not do much to curb a current smoker’s nicotine addiction. Researchers found that cigarette smokers were more likely to experience greater relief from their nicotine cravings than pouch users, because smoking causes nicotine levels in the bloodstream to rise after just five minutes, while with pouches the peak can last up to 30 minutes.
Proponents say nicotine pouches have benefits. Is that true?
Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson – that one time endorsed testicle tanning – described the sacs as to be like “the hand of God reaching down and massaging your central nervous system.” Peter Thiel, the technology mogul, told it the Atlantic Ocean that he suspects nicotine is a “very good nootropic drug that increases your IQ by 10 points,” and that he is considering wearing nicotine patches as part of his health regimen. And an article in it Bloomberg noted in January that Zyn has “inspired a fervent devotion among some workers in high-demand industries like finance and technology,” circles in which the stimulant is sometimes used as a “performance-enhancing drug.”
If Nida notes that nicotine can temporarily enhance certain aspects of cognition, “such as the ability to sustain attention and retain information in memory.”
However, Chaffee says that “nicotine itself carries some risks.” He explains that it can increase heart rate, increase blood pressure and be harmful to people with underlying heart conditions. And, he says, “Anyone can be highly addicted to nicotine.”
This is especially concerning when it comes to children. While the number of children using nicotine pouches is still there lowChaffee notes that young people are especially vulnerable to nicotine addiction. “(Nicotine) can really change their brain chemistry while their brain is still developing,” he says. “And that could be a risk in the long term.”