Snus reducing harm

Life expectancy has increased for all groups in Sweden except women with low educational attainment, and a sociology researcher believes that could be due to these women smoking at a time when Swedish men have mostly transitioned to snus, according to a EurekAlert! story relayed by the TMA.

Deaths from smoking are said to be three times more common among women with a compulsory education only than among those with a university education.

Deaths from smoking in Sweden had decreased among men and increased among women, particularly those with compulsory schooling only, said Olof Östergren, sociology researcher at Stockholm University.

“One possible explanation as to why men are less harmed by tobacco is snus,” said Östergren.

“Snus isn’t as dangerous as smoking, and it’s much more common among men than [among] women.”

At the same time, a stressful life situation can make the body more susceptible to the damaging effects of tobacco and alcohol, which means that differences in mortality depend both on behavioural differences and social and economic differences.