Why nicotine pouches may not help smokers cut cravings

Nicotine pouches are marketed as cigarette alternatives, but Ohio State research shows that they might not do much to curb smokers’ nicotine cravings.

Many smokers turn to oral nicotine pouches when trying to quit or reduce their habits because the products lack some of the dangerous ingredients found in cigarettes — most notably, tobacco.

“People think of these pouches as alternatives to cigarettes because they deliver nicotine, but they don't have a lot of the harmful chemicals that cause cancer,” says Brittney Keller-Hamilton, PhD, MPH, a tobacco researcher at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute. “Because of that, a lot of people think about nicotine patches as harm reduction options for smokers, and we've noticed that a lot of nicotine pouch brands are actually promoting their products to smokers.”

Click here to learn about The Ohio State University’s Center for Tobacco Research.

While the pouches do deliver nicotine to users, though, Keller-Hamilton and her colleagues have found that they might not be effective at actually curbing the cravings caused by cigarettes.

“We compared nicotine pouches with differing strengths against cigarettes to see how well they delivered nicotine, and how they relieved craving symptoms,” she says. “What was a little surprising, though, was that they didn't relieve cravings as quickly as cigarettes.”

Though the study showed that the pouches could deliver large amounts of nicotine, the reduction in users’ cravings took longer to take effect compared to cigarettes.

“Usually, when you smoke a cigarette, you reach your maximum nicotine levels about five to seven minutes after you've started,” Keller-Hamilton says. “For a pouch, it takes more like 30 minutes. So, when you map those results on to how people feel about cravings, a cigarette them really fast.”

The findings don’t mean that nicotine pouches can’t be useful components of smoking cessation plans, according to Keller-Hamilton, but more research needs to be done to determine how to best utilize them for that purpose — and to reduce their use among non-smokers.

“At Ohio State, we're really trying to unpack what is going on in nicotine pouches to try to figure out how to most effectively position them as harm reduction options for smokers, but at the same time, limit how appealing they are to young people who don't already use tobacco,” she says.

Click here to learn about lung cancer, including risks, symptoms and treatment options at the OSUCCC – James.