Weight gain and incident obesity among male snus users

The study participants (n = 9,954 males living in Stockholm County, Sweden) were recruited in 2002 and reassessed in 2007. Tobacco use was categorized according to information obtained in both the baseline and follow-up surveys. Outcomes were assessed by comparing self-reported weight and body mass index between the baseline and follow-up surveys.Stable current snus use (according to both surveys), compared to never having used any kind of tobacco, seemed to be associated with both weight gain (odds ratio = 1.31, 95% confidence interval: 1.04-1.65) and incident obesity (odds ratio = 1.93, 95% confidence interval: 1.13-3.30) after adjustment for age, baseline weight, alcohol consumption, physical activity, education, consumption of fruit and berries, and the frequency of having breakfast. No associations with incident obesity or weight gain were seen for stable former users of snus (according to both surveys) or among men who quit or began using snus during follow-up.These data suggest that the use of snus is moderately associated with weight gain and incident obesity among men.Snus, a moist smokeless tobacco product used orally, is receiving growing attention in public health research and debate. This is probably due to the increasing use of the product and the ban on smoking in public areas.Snus has historically been used mainly by men in Sweden, and to some extent in other Scandinavian countries [1]. However, it has now also reached new markets, for example the United States and South Africa [2]. The potential health effects of snus use have not been thoroughly investigated, and the relationship between the use of snus and metabolic processes such as the regulation of body weight is unclear. However, research on the effect of smoked tobacco (with an exposure to nicotine comparable with snus use) [3,4] has found that smokers have a lower body mass index (BMI) than to non-smokers [5-7], possibly as a consequence of increased energy expenditure. Smoking may also affe