HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Siegel, D Articles by Hauck, W W Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Siegel, D Articles by Hauck, W W

Smokeless tobacco, cardiovascular risk factors, and nicotine and cotinine levels in professional baseball players.

D Siegel, N Benowitz, V L Ernster, D G Grady and W W Hauck

Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco.

BACKGROUND. The use of smokeless tobacco (ST), which has increased in popularity over the past 2 decades, results in considerable systemic exposure to nicotine. Nicotine might contribute to atherosclerosis by an effect on cardiovascular risk factors. METHODS. The effects of ST use on cardiovascular risk factors and cotinine and nicotine levels were studied in 1061 professional baseball players during spring training in 1988 and 1989. RESULTS. Of the study participants 477 (45%) were users. ST use was more common among Whites (55%) than among Blacks (29%) or Hispanics (21%), and users reported heavier consumption of alcohol (p less than .001) and had higher mean serum caffeine levels (p less than .001) than nonusers. ST users did not differ from nonusers in adjusted levels of systolic and diastolic blood pressure, pulse, and total or HDL-cholesterol. Among ST users, participants using snuff had higher mean serum cotinine levels than those who used chewing tobacco (p less than .001). There was no association between serum cotinine levels and adjusted levels of any cardiovascular risk factor studied. However, higher diastolic blood pressures were associated with higher mean serum nicotine levels (p = .02). CONCLUSIONS. Smokeless tobacco use has at most a modest effect on cardiovascular risk factors in young physically fit men.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				P. N Lee Circulatory disease and smokeless tobacco in Western populations: a review of the evidence Int. J. Epidemiol., August 1, 2007; 36(4): 789 - 804. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. Gupta, H. Gurm, and J. R. Bartholomew Smokeless Tobacco and Cardiovascular Risk Arch Intern Med, September 27, 2004; 164(17): 1845 - 1849. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. Asplund, S. Nasic, U. Janlert, and B. Stegmayr Smokeless Tobacco as a Possible Risk Factor for Stroke in Men: A Nested Case-Control Study Stroke, July 1, 2003; 34(7): 1754 - 1759. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. M Walsh, J. Ellison, J. F Hilton, M. Chesney, and V. L Ernster Spit (smokeless) tobacco use by high school baseball athletes in California Tob. Control, June 1, 2000; 9(90002): ii32 - 39. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. Huhtasaari, V. Lundberg, M. Eliasson, U. Janlert, and K. Asplund Smokeless tobacco as a possible risk factor for myocardial infarction: a population-based study in middle-aged men J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., November 15, 1999; 34(6): 1784 - 1790. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]