Benefits of Synthetic Nicotine Versus Tobacco-Derived Nicotine

There are many alternatives to chewing tobacco on the market that use food grade ingredients infused with nicotine to replicate traditional smokeless tobacco, or chewing tobacco. The important difference for consumers is the type of nicotine being used. There is tobacco-derived nicotine (TDN), which comes from the tobacco plant, and there is synthetic (tobacco-free) nicotine which is made without the use of tobacco and is instead synthesized in a lab.

There are roughly 10 million traditional smokeless tobacco users in the US alone. Many users enjoy the satisfaction of the nicotine, but also understand the negative health consequences of using chewing tobacco, including oral cancer. This is why chewing tobacco alternatives, like Fully Loaded Chew and Smokey Mountain, have increased in popularity in recent years.

Tobacco-derived nicotine, found in many products, still contains some of the same compounds that are known carcinogens found in traditional smokeless tobacco products, although at lower concentrations. 

Tobacco specific nitrosamines (TSNAs), are the main carcinogens found in traditional smokeless tobacco.  These can be found in small amounts in traditional tobacco-derived nicotine as well. The definition of a TSNA, per the cancer.gov website is, “A type of harmful, cancer-causing chemical found in tobacco and tobacco smoke. TSNAs are formed when tobacco leaves are grown, cured, aged and processed. Tobacco products can contain different amounts of TSNAs, depending on how they are made.” (https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/tsna)

Nicotine itself is not a known carcinogen or labeled as such. It is classified as the same type of stimulant as caffeine. It’s the tobacco byproducts that are the known carcinogens. Nicotine is an addictive substance. Dr. Andy Tan PhD MPH, of the Dana-Farber Cancer institute in Boston wrote, “Nicotine is a chemical in tobacco leaves and is a component of the liquid in e-cigarettes. Nicotine does not, however, cause cancer.” (https://blog.dana-farber.org/insight/2018/07/nicotine-cause-cancer/)

Synthetic nicotine is a synthesized form of nicotine produced in FDA-approved facilities with absolutely no tobacco constituents and no agricultural byproducts. This allows synthetic nicotine to be over 99.5 percent pure nicotine and lack the impurities and known carcinogens found in tobacco-derived nicotine. 

This means that when using a product manufactured with synthetic nicotine, the consumer has zero exposure to TSNAs. There are some products on the market that are using synthetic nicotine now. One of the most popular is Fully Loaded Chew. Fully Loaded makes a smokeless tobacco alternative in various flavors like wintergreen, mint, peach, berry, bourbon and classic. All flavors are available in long cut and pouches. The base of the product is made from food grade ingredients, offering an alternative that is truly without any TSNA’s.  There are also nicotine-free versions for those who want a smokeless alternative without any nicotine. Customers have been known to mix the nicotine versions with the nicotine-free versions to help wean themselves off of nicotine for good.

For more information about alternatives to standard chewing tobacco go to www.fullyloadedchew.com and see for yourself.