No tobacco product is safe to consume

From the Chicago Sun Times:http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/health/2711700,CST-NWS-smoke15.article

September 15, 2010
Smokeless tobacco products, such as chewing tobacco and snuff, are not safe or effective alternatives for people who want to quit smoking, says a new policy statement issued by the American Heart Association.

"No tobacco product is safe to consume," said Mariann Piano, a professor in the biobehavioral health science department at the University of Illinois at Chicago and lead writer of the statement.

Smokeless tobacco products are addictive and may also increase the risk of fatal heart attack, fatal stroke and certain cancers, according to the statement published online in the journal Circulation.

Gannett News Service

Social media account holders –The American Heart Association just released a policy statement on smokeless tobacco.

Read policy statement here.

Learn more about AHA resources to help you quit: http://www.heart.org/quitsmoking

Here are some social media messages you can use on your accounts online to help us spread the word about these products as well as links to learn more about resources to help you quit:

TWITTER:·

Smokeless tobacco products not a safe option, won’t help smokers quit http://bit.ly/ajYHGm·

An est. 7% of adults uses smokeless tobacco. AHA advises against smokeless tobacco products to quit smoking. www.heart.org/quitsmoking·

To help Americans quit smoking, AHA supports tobacco excise taxes to fund prevention & cessation programs http://bit.ly/bYQS94

FACEBOOK:

1. AHA Policy Statement: Smokeless tobacco products should not be used as an alternative to cigarettes or for smoking cessation due to the risk of addiction and return to smoking.LINK: http://bit.ly/ajYHGm

2. Smokeless tobacco products such as dry and moist snuff as well as chewing tobacco may also increase the risk of fatal heart attack, fatal stroke and certain cancers, according to a new study.LINK: http://bit.ly/ajYHGm

3. An estimated 7 percent of adults use smokeless tobacco. Smokeless tobacco should not be used for smoking cessation because long-term use moderately increases the risk of a fatal heart attack, fatal stroke and certain cancers. Check out the American Heart Associations’ resources to help you kick the habit!LINK: www.heart.org/quitsmoking

4. To help Americans quit smoking, AHA supports substantially increasing excise taxes on all tobacco products, including smokeless tobacco to help fund tobacco prevention and cessation programs.LINK: http://bit.ly/bYQS94