Nicotine pouches do not contain tobacco, which eliminates the health risks of smoke and vapor exposure. This makes them an appealing option for people in smoking-prohibited environments or those with sensitivities to tobacco-related toxins.
Nicotine affects the way your body uses glucose, or sugar, for energy. It also increases your risk for diabetes by interfering with the ways insulin works.
Weight Gain
When electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and tobacco smoke were first introduced, there was a lot of concern about the negative impact they might have on health. In particular, some researchers worried that smokers of these products would become dependent on nicotine and develop a smoking habit that could lead to cigarette addiction and increased risk of type 2 diabetes. Now, a new worry has emerged. The use of nicotine pouches is gaining popularity among young people. These small, pouch-shaped devices are tucked between a person’s lips or cheek and gums and deliver nicotine through the mucous membranes in the mouth. Nicotine pouches contain either nicotine from a tobacco plant or synthetic nicotine that’s made in the lab. They come in a variety of flavors that are popular with youth, including berry, cinnamon, citrus and coffee. A growing number of countries have now regulated these pouches under their existing tobacco control or e-cigarette laws, which can include maximum nicotine levels, labeling and advertising restrictions, health warnings and other measures to reduce exposure.
A recent study found that anyone who used nicotine pouches or smoked conventional cigarettes had an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. This risk was higher for those who smoked conventional cigarettes than for those who only used e-cigarettes. In fact, those who smoked conventional cigarettes had a 2.35 times greater risk of developing SIRD, 45% more chance of MARD and 52% more chance of SIDD or MOD. And those who smoked both conventional cigarettes and e-cigarettes had the highest risk of developing diabetes.
One possible reason for the higher risk of diabetes is that smoking causes weight gain and leads to a more unhealthy body composition. Smoking also impairs the body’s ability to respond to insulin, which is another factor in diabetes development. It can also trigger the release of triglycerides, raise hormones that fight insulin and increase blood sugar, as per Medical News Today.
Using nicotine pouches is particularly dangerous for adolescents and young adults because they are still developing their brains and nicotine is a stimulant. This may lead to impulsive behavior and ADHD-like cognitive symptoms. It may also increase a person’s predisposition to addiction and other substances, such as drugs like cocaine or heroin.
Excessive Alcohol Consumption
While it’s no secret that smoking raises your risk for type 2 diabetes, what you might not know is how much alcohol increases it. In fact, people who smoke are twice as likely to get diabetes if they drink heavily. The good news is that you can significantly reduce your chances of getting diabetes if you stop smoking and drinking.
The study participants were between 23 and 30 years old, and smoked one to 20 cigarettes per day at intake. They also had a history of vaping and/or tobacco smoking. They were given a vape pen-style starter kit at the start of the study, which they were free to change or upgrade at their own expense (and at no cost to the research). They were informed (orally when they expressed interest, on the information sheets and reiterated at intake) that the study was not a cessation trial and that they could continue to use their device in the manner in which they wished.
In addition to their regular use of e-cigarettes and traditional tobacco products, they all engaged in co-use of nicotine and alcohol. This occurred in a variety of social and public settings where both smoking and drinking are common.
Ryan, for example, explains how the materials, skills and meanings of both smoking and vaping became intertwined during drinking occasions through ‘replacement’ and ‘adjacency’ processes: ‘I think that it’s not just about having a cigarette when you’re drinking, but more like, there’s something special about having the vape right in front of you, being able to control it and adjust the temperature and the flavor – you’re in control and you have this kind of power over your own pleasure.’
These findings highlight the need for policies that place stricter environmental restrictions on smoking, such as restricting smoking to indoor areas and banning it in pubs, bars and restaurants. They also call for studies of nontobacco nicotine-containing devices such as juuls to explore their potential for abuse and their effects on substance use patterns in combination with alcohol. In particular, research on the toxicity and metabolism of flavor aldehydes and other chemicals produced during vaping needs to be undertaken.
Poor Diet
The study also reinforced that smoking, and modern alternatives like e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches, raise type 2 diabetes risk, even when they don’t contain tobacco. “The results show that using all forms of nicotine, regardless of whether it’s cigarette, e-cigarette or smokeless tobacco, increases diabetes risk,” says researcher Emmy Keysendal, PhD student at the Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska University, Stockholm, Sweden.
The research team looked at medical data from 7,200 participants across Norway and Sweden. They divided them into four distinct type 2 diabetes subtypes: mild age-related disease (MARD), mild obesity-related disease (MOD), severe insulin-resistant disease (SIDD) and severe insulin-deficient disease (SIDD). The study’s results showed that all forms of nicotine use – including smoking, vaping and the use of nicotine pouches – raised risk for each of these different type 2 diabetes categories.
In addition, the researchers looked at dietary intake among the study participants and found that a poor diet is also a significant factor in diabetes. Those who reported consuming an unhealthy diet were nearly twice as likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than those who didn’t. This finding supports previous studies that link a poor diet to type 2 diabetes, and highlights how important it is for people with diabetes to follow a healthy diet.
Morean also notes that there is a common misconception that the appetite-suppressing effects of tobacco might help reduce diabetes risk through weight control, but this research definitively refutes such a theory and demonstrates how nicotine directly increases diabetes risk, independent of any potential weight loss or other health benefits. She adds that doctors need to be able to talk to patients about how cigarettes, e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches are associated with increased type 2 diabetes risk, as well as educate them about the dangers of smokeless tobacco products and their modern alternatives.
The new findings will give healthcare providers stronger evidence to counsel their patients about the metabolic consequences of smoking, and may lead to more aggressive approaches to diabetes prevention with these individuals. They will also help to dispel misconceptions about the safety of modern alternative nicotine products, such as e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches, that some people may believe are a healthier option.
Stress
Nicotine pouches are a popular alternative to tobacco products like cigarettes and chewing tobacco. They are small, discreet and smokeless, making them easier to use in smoking-prohibited environments and among people who may be sensitive to vapor or secondhand smoke. They also do not contain the harmful tobacco leaves or additives found in traditional tobacco products, eliminating many of the serious health risks associated with these substances, including lung disease and oral cancers.
However, nicotine is a highly addictive substance that can cause the same harms as cigarette smoking, particularly in those with diabetes. This is because nicotine increases insulin resistance, which makes blood sugars more difficult to control. In addition, it can trigger the body to make more triglycerides, which are a type of fat that fights insulin. Ultimately, nicotine can cause severe insulin-resistant diabetes, which is twice as likely to occur in smokers than it is in nonsmokers.
In a new study, researchers found that individuals who use e-cigarettes or nicotine pouches face a higher risk of being diagnosed with diabetes than those who don’t. This increased risk is due to the rapid delivery of nicotine and the high levels of addictiveness. In fact, those who use both e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches have a seven-fold higher risk of developing diabetes than those who only smoke cigarettes.
The scientists used a combination of statistical methods to evaluate the results, including chi-square tests and multiple logistic regression analyses. The authors also conducted subgroup analyses based on demographic and socioeconomic factors to see how these variations would affect the findings.
While vaping and nicotine pouches are not as common as cigarettes, the trend is worrying because they could encourage young people to develop a dangerous addiction. Parents should talk to their children about the dangers of using these products and help them find healthier alternatives. In addition, parents should be aware of their children’s activities and where they are going so that they can spot hidden devices, like those used by teens. They should also be alert to the presence of odorless or smokeless pouches, which are easy for teenagers to hide in clothing and bags.
