{"id":53,"date":"2026-11-06T09:06:25","date_gmt":"2026-11-06T09:06:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healthcare.hibisports.com\/?p=53"},"modified":"2026-11-06T09:06:25","modified_gmt":"2026-11-06T09:06:25","slug":"zyn-pouches-may-be-lower-risk-than-cigarettes-experts-say-that-doesnt-mean-its-safe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthcare.hibisports.com\/?p=53","title":{"rendered":"ZYN Pouches May Be Lower Risk Than Cigarettes. Experts Say That Doesn\u2019t Mean It\u2019s Safe"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The popular electronic vapes have some competition in the nicotine business: ZYN pouches. The tobacco-free product, which can be discreetly placed under the lip, has become the latest trend among teenagers and young adults.\n<\/p>\n

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In June, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made the controversial decision to issue a modified risk claim for 20 ZYN nicotine pouch products, following extensive review.<\/span> As a result, these ZYN pouches can be marketed with the following message: \u201cUsing ZYN instead of cigarettes puts you at a lower risk of mouth cancer, heart disease, lung cancer, stroke, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis.\u201d \n<\/p>\n

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Indeed, ZYN pouches don\u2019t produce harmful ash or smoke like cigarettes do. But this doesn\u2019t mean that the pouches are safe, since they still contain a highly addictive substance, nicotine. \n<\/p>\n

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\u201cI think from a public health standpoint, what we\u2019d like to see is people not using nicotine products. And not marketing new and innovative ones. Because, despite what the industry says, their goal is to create customers for the next generation,\u201d said David G. Hill, MD, FCCP<\/a>, a critical care physician with Waterbury Pulmonary Associates and an assistant clinical professor of medicine at Quinnipiac University.\n<\/p>\n

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The FDA\u2019s Case for ZYN\u2019s Reduced-Risk Claims <\/span> <\/h2>\n

ZYN is a type of nicotine pouch<\/a>, often <\/strong>containing a flavored powder that dissolves in the mouth. The nicotine is absorbed through the gum and lining of the mouth.<\/span> One pouch can contain up to 11 milligrams of nicotine, the equivalent of one cigarette, depending on the brand.<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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People usually keep a pouch in their mouth for about an hour before throwing it out.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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And depending on the person, ZYN pouches can be quite addictive. \u201cNicotine is kind of a reasonable anxiolytic, a stress relief product,\u201d Panagis Galiatsatos, MD, MHS<\/a>, an <\/strong>associate professor of medicine & oncology and physician at John Hopkins Medicine. \u201cIt\u2019s got a dopaminergic effect that\u2019s delivered without having the side effects of combustible cigarettes.\u201d \n<\/p>\n

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The FDA has granted modified risk claims to 10 ZYN products with 3 milligrams of nicotine and 10 products with 6 milligrams of nicotine, including various flavored options.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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Bret Koplow, PhD, JD, the acting director of the FDA\u2019s Center for Tobacco Products, said that the modified risk claim informs adults who smoke \u201cabout the lower risks associated with these products.\u201d \n<\/p>\n

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\u201cFDA\u2019s review of modified risk products is intended to ensure that adult users have clear, science-based information about the relative harms of tobacco products, so they can make informed choices,\u201d he said in a press release.\n<\/p>\n

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