Tobacco in gutka: Does gutkha also contain tobacco? Many people have confusion on this matter. Come, let’s know about it on World No Tobacco Day 2023.
Many people in India eat gutkha. They believe that it is a type of mouth freshener and does not contain tobacco. Such gutkha eaters often argue that we do not eat tobacco. But, these people do not really know that some gutkas also contain a good amount of tobacco. But what is this quantity and how harmful is it, let us know about this on World No Tobacco Day 2023.
Does gutkha contain tobacco-How much tobacco is in gutka?
Tobacco, betel nut, lime, saffron, spices, catechu, and cardamom are used to make gutkha. However, none of them mention the presence or quantity of nicotine in them. But, they contain a fair amount of tobacco. In fact, according to a report by NIH, ten different brands of gutkha and pan masala had an average of 6.26 ± 2.65 and 3.25 ± 0.7 mg/g of tobacco. Apart from this, the amount of nicotine per gram of tobacco was also found to be 2.4 to 4.3 mg.
Moreover, there was a wide variation in the amount of nicotine per gram of tobacco (3.3–10.3 mg) in this type of smoke free tobacco used orally. The ingredients in all packs except one were the presence of tobacco, lime, menthol, oil and spice.
How harmful gutkha is:
There are many disadvantages of eating gutkha, which does not only harm your mouth and teeth. Hence, not just tobbaco, you must avoid eating any kind of pan-masala or gutkha.
Experts say that gutka contains nicotine and many harmful, cancer-causing chemicals. Its use can lead to nicotine addiction and can also lead to cancer of the lips, mouth, tongue, throat and esophagus. Apart from this, due to gutkha, you can also become a victim of high BP and heart diseases.
