Smokeless tobacco products are not good alternatives for people trying to quit smoking

The University of Minnesota researchers found that these products are not good alternatives for people trying to quit smoking. They found that medicinal anti-smoking products such as a nicotine patch are a much better aid in helping people kick the habit.

"Collectively, these results indicate that most smokeless tobacco products are not necessarily a safe alternative to &to=http://english.pravda.ru/fun/2002/11/21/39785.html' target=_blank>smoking and are inferior to medicinal nicotine products with respect to carcinogen exposure," lead author Stephen Hecht of the University of Minnesota Cancer Center said in a prepared statement, reports Forbes.

As a result, health professionals are trying to find less harmful alternatives to cigarette smoking.

William G. Nelson, V, M.D., Ph.D., of Johns Hopkins University says, "While new products are being developed and marketed as less harmful alternatives to cigarettes, they should be evaluated for efficacy in reducing smoking use, as well as actual reduced incidence of related diseases."