The modern nicotine pouches used by a fifth of professional footballers have been linked to a host of serious health problems, from cancer to heart disease and stroke.
Also called snus, users place the pouches under the lip where nicotine is gradually released into the mouth, which in turn is absorbed into the bloodstream.
A study has found that pouch use, both tobacco and nicotine versions, is worryingly high among professional footballers.
Data from 628 male players from the Premier League and English Football League, as well as 51 players from the Women’s Super League, found that a fifth were active users.
Snus technically refers to products containing carcinogenic tobacco which, although legal to use, is not permitted to be sold in the UK.
In the new study, 18 per cent of men who played for Premier League or EFL clubs reported actively using snus or nicotine pouches. This figure increased to 22 percent among professional female players (file image)
This graphic, taken from the report, shows how some professional footballers are dealing with stock market addiction.
Nicotine pouches, which can be purchased in the UK, do not contain tobacco, but are also known, confusingly, as snus.
However, tobacco snus is easy to obtain from online stores located overseas that ship the products directly to the homes of UK consumers.
Both types have been linked to worrying health problems.
A review by Swedish experts last year found that users of snus containing tobacco had a 3.5 times higher risk of esophageal cancer compared to non-tobacco users.
The same review also identified a 10 percent increased risk of pancreatic cancer among snus users.
The authors also noted an increased risk of stomach and rectal cancer, as well as cancer deaths in general, among snus users, but noted that the evidence base for this was weaker.
writing in the International Cancer Journal The authors said: ‘Snus use probably increases the risk of esophageal and pancreatic cancer.
“Snus use may increase the risk of stomach and rectal cancer, and evidence suggests an increased risk of cancer-specific mortality as well as an increase in overall mortality after a cancer diagnosis (all cancers combined )”.
Swedish researchers have also previously recorded an increased risk of cardiovascular health problems among tobacco snus users.
A 2021 study of more than 41,000 Swedish adults found that snus users who had never smoked had a 52 percent increased risk of smoking.
Smokers were excluded from the analysis, published in BMC Medicineso as not to influence the results.
Another larger study conducted the same year with nearly 170,000 adults found that snus users had a 27 percent increased risk of cardiovascular death.
While not as serious as cancer or death, snus use has also been strongly linked to people suffering from painful and unpleasant oral lesions.
These health problems have been identified specifically for snus, not for nicotine-only pouches, although both are commonly known as “snus.”
Nicotine-only versions work by releasing the addictive compound for up to 30 minutes into the person’s bloodstream.
The authors of the current report on use in footballers, from Loughborough University, say there is a “lack of long-term evidence” on the safety of these non-tobacco products.
“It is worth noting that nicotine pouches may provide a less risky toxic profile compared to smoking or snus (tobacco), but more analysis and evidence is required,” they wrote.
Some powders that MailOnline sells for sale contain much more nicotine than cigarettes (file image)
The report, based on a survey of 679 players and carried out in conjunction with the Professional Footballers’ Association, found that the majority – 53 per cent of men and 73 per cent of women – showed at least one sign of “dependence”. of nicotine”.
These included experiencing cravings, as well as irritability and restlessness.
More than a third of users also claimed to have used the product “without thinking.”
An anonymous player told the studio: ‘I’ve quit smoking twice in eight months, but I always seem to start again. I find it hard to quit when I’m like this all day.’
Despite the dangers and signs of addiction, 39 percent of male and 55 percent of female players reported a “perceived performance benefit from snus and nicotine pouches.”
This commonly took the form of “mental preparation” or a calming effect before a game, and one player reportedly even used it to control his weight.
While the study authors noted that nicotine, which is a stimulant, has been found to improve “fine motor skills, attention and memory,” there is more evidence on whether this translates to football.
They also noted that nicotine could also have negative impacts on sports performance by disrupting sleep quality and altering appetite.
While advocates of snus and nicotine pouches have listed it as a possible quit-smoking aid, like vaporizers, neither is recommended by the NHS.
The health service says even tobacco-free versions could have risks due to a lack of evidence on their safety and effectiveness.
Some professional players have also been photographed with nicotine bags in the past, including Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy.
He was seen in 2016 walking to England training in Chantilly, France, carrying a bottle of what appeared to be chewing tobacco and a Red Bull.
Vary had previously admitted to taking snus in his autobiography to help him relax.
“When I joined Leicester I started using snus, which are nicotine patches that you put on your gums, for about 10 minutes,” he said in his autobiography.
“I used to have a cigarette on a night out in Fleetwood, but one of the lads introduced me to snus when I signed for Leicester and I found it helped me relax.
“Many more footballers use them than people think and some boys even play with them during matches.”
Several other former professionals, including Charlie Adam, have spoken out about their use of the nicotine product in the past, with Adam claiming its use was “big” in English football.
“It’s important in the game, not just in the Premier League, League One, League Two, the Championship, Scotland…” he said. BBC 5 Live in 2019.
“It really comes from Scandinavia and a lot of players are using it.” It’s what’s fashionable.
A report last year by MailOnline found that some candy flavors of powders sold online contain almost 33mg of nicotine per bag.
In comparison, a single cigarette contains between 8 and 20 mg of nicotine.
Jars containing 20 bags are sold online for just £4.50.