Nicotine pouches are establishing themselves as one of the best alternatives to help you quit smoking. This is supported by pharmacist and certified tobacco educator Todd Prochnau, who has defended its role in the options available to smokers trying to quit cigarettes.
“It is a legitimate product to quit smoking, it works like nicotine gum and patches,” explains Prochnau, who has been working for years with patients seeking to overcome tobacco dependence. In his opinion, offering different tools is essential, since many smokers need several attempts before finally being able to quit the habit.
But the principle behind these alternatives is not new. As with other replacement treatments, the objective is to provide nicotine without resorting to tobacco combustion, which reduces the withdrawal syndrome and the desire to smoke while moving towards quitting cigarettes.
Studies support its use for smoking cessation
Some recent studies on smoking cessation suggest that nicotine pouches could be up to 200% more effective than gum or patches in certain cases. The researchers note that the format and method of administration may be more convenient for some smokers and makes it easier to maintain the process of quitting smoking.
Much of the scientific research also agrees that the main risk of tobacco is not in the nicotine, but in the smoke generated when burning it. Combustion releases thousands of chemical compounds, many of them toxic or potentially carcinogenic, responsible for many of the diseases associated with smoking.
For this reason, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the marketing of these products in 2025 after concluding that they present a lower health risk than cigarettes and other traditional tobacco products.
The Swedish model in the fight against smoking
One of the examples that specialists often cite is Sweden, a country that has the lowest lung cancer rates in Europe. In this case, different epidemiological analyzes suggest that many smokers have given up traditional cigarettes and switched to smokeless oral alternatives, which has reduced the impact of smoking on health.
The European comparisons show that the incidence of oncological diseases linked to tobacco in Sweden is 41% lower than the European average. Many researchers believe that this difference is related to the use of smokeless alternatives, which reduce the risks associated with cigarette consumption.
In fact, to date there is no scientific evidence that directly relates nicotine to serious diseases associated with smoking, since most studies agree that the main health damage is linked to the toxic substances generated during the combustion of tobacco.