Why is smokeless tobacco bad for you

Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Chewing tobacco is not a safer alternative to smoke and poses significant health risks, including addiction. When you think about the dangers of tobacco, your mind probably jumps to cigarette smoke. While smoking tobacco is dangerous, ingesting it in other ways, like chewing it, can be equally harmful.

According to the U. Food and Drug Administration FDA , every day, people under 18 try smokeless tobacco for the first time.

Nicotine is a highly addictive substance. When you chew tobacco, nicotine is absorbed orally. According to one study from , nicotine blood levels tend to peak within about a half-hour of ingestion.

Your body absorbs nicotine from chewing tobacco a lot slower than with cigarette smoke. Still, the amount that ends up in your body is similar. Studies show that you actually absorb more nicotine from chewing tobacco than you would from smoking cigarettes at 4.

Chewing tobacco is available in various forms. To use chewing tobacco, you typically place it between your cheek and gums or teeth. You can spit or swallow the juices. Some forms of chewing tobacco are spitless. When you put chewing tobacco in your mouth, the tissues in your oral cavity absorb the nicotine.

Nicotine tends to make its way to and concentrate in certain organs like the liver, spleen, and kidneys. It also makes its way to the brain. Why do people use chewing tobacco? Here are a few possible reasons:. Chewing tobacco is a dried smokeless tobacco product. Loose leaves look a lot like tea leaves. A plug is a compressed block of tobacco, and a twist is a braided leaf product that looks like a very odd, dark-colored pretzel.

All tobacco products contain harmful ingredients. Chewing tobacco and other tobacco products may cause the following types of cancer:. Chewing tobacco carries a host of health risks, including:. Notably that they contain a host of cancer-causing ingredients. According to the American Lung Association, these products have links to several cancers, including oral cancers, pancreatic cancer, and esophageal cancer.

Dual use of smokeless tobacco with other tobacco products like cigarettes or e-cigarettes is concerning. Users can face greater health impacts with dual use. Learn about the American Lung Association's programs to help you or a loved one quit smoking , and join our advocacy efforts to reduce tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke. Visit Lung. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Factsheet: Smokeless Tobacco: Health Effects. December National Cancer Institute. Smokeless Tobacco and Cancer: Questions and Answers. October, Factsheet: Smokeless Tobacco: Products and Marketing. The SmokefreeVET texting program can be a source of support for you during your quit. Sign Up. More for you. How to Quit Dipping or Chewing Tobacco. Make a plan to quit and learn how to deal with challenges of quitting smokeless tobacco. Manage the Challenges of Quitting.

Understand why you feel like you need to smoke. Find ways to avoid triggers and deal with withdrawal and cravings.

Get Help from Medications. Medications can double your chances of quitting for good. Learn about the different options available.

Tobacco Use and Other Health Issues. Heart disease. When you drink alcohol, you increase the level of five of those neurotransmitters. When you smoke or use tobacco, you increase the other three. Some people can quit cold-turkey.

Check out more health and wellness tips from Living Better experts. Schedule an appointment with Dr. Prylinski or one of our other primary care providers.