Snus, nicotine pouches and cardiovascular disease: Evidence, mechanisms, and the challenge of novel nicotine products

Vollständiger Abstract

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Abstract Conventional Swedish snus is used by millions in Scandinavia and increasingly worldwide, yet its cardiovascular effects remain poorly characterized. The emergence of nicotine pouches—commonly referred to as ‘white snus’ in Sweden—that deliver comparable nicotine without tobacco constituents adds complexity to a heterogeneous landscape and raises questions about whether cardiovascular risk follows nicotine exposure regardless of product type. We explore epidemiological and mechanistic evidence on snus and cardiovascular disease, the contributions of nicotine versus tobacco‐specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) to risks, and identify knowledge gaps, with focus on novel nicotine products and the research opportunity offered by the Swedish Tobacco Cohort (SWETOC). Epidemiological evidence suggests elevated cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality among snus users, with the most consistent signals for fatal myocardial infarction and heart failure. Associations with incident atherosclerotic events are more heterogeneous. Mechanistic evidence points to nicotine‐mediated pathways, including sympathetic activation, endothelial dysfunction and increased arterial stiffness, whereas evidence for TSNA‐driven CVD risk remains sparse, and declining TSNA levels in modern Swedish snus make that path less likely and harder to study. Nicotine pouches deliver comparable or higher systemic nicotine than conventional snus but lack long‐term cardiovascular outcome data. Real‐world cessation data from Denmark suggest structured programmes can achieve 6‐month abstinence rates of approximately 53% among non‐smoking nicotine users. The evidence supports nicotine as the primary driver of snus‐associated CVD risk, with important implications for the cardiovascular safety of novel nicotine products. Evidence is needed to inform public health guidance, clinical advice and regulatory decisions. SWETOC represents a unique infrastructure to generate this evidence.