Cardiovascular risk factors in young snuff‐users and cigarette smokers

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Abstract
We studied cardiovascular risk factors in 21 young men who were habitual snuff‐users, and compared them with the same risk factors in 18 non‐tobacco‐users and 19 cigarette smokers of the same age and body mass index. Both snuff‐users and smokers showed increased levels of alcohol and coffee consumption and a decreased level of physical exercise compared to non‐users. Both groups of tobacco‐users showed increased serum insulin levels compared to the control group at similar blood glucose concentrations. In contrast to the smokers, snuff‐users showed no significant elevation of diastolic blood pressure, haemoglobin concentrations, white cell count, serum cholesterol or triglyceride levels. Snuff users had higher plasma fibrinogen levels than non‐users (P = 0.07). The use of snuff by young men appears to have less impact than smoking on cardiovascular risk factors, with the possible exception of elevated serum insulin and plasma fibrinogen levels.