What are nicotine pouches?
Nicotine pouches are soaring in popularity, particularly among young adults and teenagers. The pouch, which consists of straight nicotine, is placed between the gum and upper lip for up to an hour, resulting in a nicotine buzz. While the products are smoke-free and tobacco-free, using nicotine is not necessarily a better alternative to cigarettes, vapes or dip. How do they affect overall health? A Baylor College of Medicine expert explains.
Nicotine pouches, such as the popular ZYN pouches, typically are made of synthetically derived nicotine. They do not contain tobacco, unlike dip or cigarettes, but still can lead to health issues.
“Nicotine in and of itself does cause a lot of cardiovascular risks that we associate with smoking,” said Dr. Lindy McGee, pediatrician and assistant professor in the Division of Academic General Pediatrics at Baylor.
Cardiovascular effects of nicotine include increased heartrate, increased workload on the heart and increased blood pressure, which may ultimately lead to heart failure and abnormal heart rhythms.
Nicotine’s effects on the brain are particularly poignant in adolescent years when the brain is developing. When you introduce nicotine to that system, it can result in long-term effects on attention, learning and memory. Nicotine also can exacerbate feelings of depression and anxiety in adolescents.
Between the ages 13 and 25 the brain is going through this massive remodeling process and making important connections. That is when you’re prime for addiction,” McGee said. “A lot of research on addictive substances show that if you start before age 18, you are more likely to become an adult addict rather than if you wait to use nicotine until age 21.”
The average user consumes about half a can or eight to 12 pouches of the 6 mg nicotine pouches. This is equivalent to one to three packs of cigarettes per day. One nicotine pouch contains about the same amount of nicotine as 1.5 cigarettes. While not advised, some stick more than one pouch in their mouth at a time, leading to higher rates of nicotine exposure.
“When talking about nicotine, there’s a range when comparing to cigarettes because people smoke cigarettes differently, so people are exposed to different amounts of nicotine per cigarette,” McGee said.
While everyone should avoid these products, the most at-risk groups are people under the age of 25 and anyone with cardiovascular disease.
Little research exists for how to quit the habit effectively since the products are fairly new to the market. McGee recommends treating this the same as any other nicotine addiction: use existing research for cigarette smoking as far as nicotine replacement therapy combined with coaching. Providers also can consider varenicline and bupropion for nicotine addiction, although they have not been specifically studied for these products.
“We had gotten cigarette smoking so far down in youth and young adults, and now there is a whole generation addicted to nicotine again. This is a thriving market, and you can tell by all the new products out there,” McGee said
By Homa Warren
