- Zyn pouches are rapidly gaining popularity due to their stimulatory effects.
- Some users also talk about the appetite suppressing effects of the nicotine in Zyn.
- Experts say there is little understanding of how safe nicotine is for weight loss.
Zyn captures the hearts, minds, and mouths of Americans.
The hugely popular nicotine pouches sit at the gum line like hard candy, ostensibly giving the user a “high” and boost of energy. Truck drivers use this for endurance, gym buddies pop this before a workout, and Tucker Carlson said they can “free the mind.” Carlson, who says he uses Zyn every second of his waking life, also (inaccurately) claimed that Zyn improves sexual performance.
Now, Zyn users are talking about another alleged side effect. Some users claim that their habits caused weight loss.
Andrea Hernandez, author of Consumer Trends Newsletter snap shotpointed out this trend this week and shared a series of social media posts about Zyn and weight loss.
“Your son lost about 30 pounds in a month. O-Zyn-pic. It’s working,” said an Instagram user. Popular golf pagesThat’s what he said in a video.
Reddit’s diet page is also filled with Zyn chatter. “I’ve been using Zyn’s nicotine pouches occasionally for the past few years, but I’ve started using them regularly because they help me concentrate and keep hunger at bay,” a Reddit user wrote on r/intermittentfasting. I am writing.
If history has taught us anything, it’s that nicotine products suppress appetite to some extent and are used for weight loss. Additionally, demand is high for quick and cheap hacks to replace the new blockbuster drugs such as Ozempic and Wigovy, which are currently in short supply. spreading anxiety.
Dr. Carolyn Bramante, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota, said it’s “no wonder” people are trying it, but she’s concerned about the unknown potential effects of nicotine pouches on a person’s heart and blood vessels. .
Nicotine can cause inflammation, a molecule released by fat cells. Bramante, who works in adult and pediatric weight management clinics, told Business Insider that none of these are well-studied.
“There are currently many FDA-approved obesity treatments, and it’s important to consider safety,” she says.
History of nicotine sold for weight loss purposes
In the 1920s, Lucky Strike cigarettes were marketed as a healthier and “less fattening” alternative to candy to help smokers “maintain their slim figure.” This is an idea that was carried over into subsequent cigarette advertisements. 50 yearsin spite of rules It was introduced in the 1960s to stop tobacco companies from advertising their cigarettes as making you lose weight.
That didn’t change when electronic cigarettes and vaping came out.a 2014 advertising Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue features a woman on the beach wearing tiny triangle bottoms and promotes a blue e-cigarette as “slim, charged and ready to use.”
Jin is different. It’s not advertised as slimming or feminine. A simple and masculine brand. And it’s turned into a game. He earns points when he buys a can of 15 pouches in flavors like Citrus, Smooth and Chill for $4.90. 5,630 points will get him an Apple AirPod, 9,000 points will get him a Samsung TV, and 8,650 points will get him a pizza oven. Earn 15 points per can.
In fact, this is not a marketing strategy by Philip Morris, which owns Zyn.It’s Jin user Who is promoting these pouches as diet hacks? They’re like cheat codes that you can unlock with purchase. Forget about your Sonos sound system and how about losing that elusive belly weight?
“It’s like… ‘This is something you can literally buy at a gas station and still get points, and it has a by-product effect that I didn’t originally intend, but I found it,'” Hernandez said of the trend. He told BI that he has been watching the rise of the industry for years.
Many male celebrities (Elon Musk, Charles Barkley) have reported dramatic weight loss after taking GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic, Wigoby, and Munjaro. But these drugs cost more than $1,000 for a month’s supply and are incredibly difficult to obtain.
“That’s why I said this is Ozempic for the masses,” Hernández said jokingly. “People want to lose weight, but it’s something that people can’t afford and don’t want to talk about. This feels like a discreet way to lose weight.”
Zyn may suppress appetite in the short term, but the collateral damage is significant.
Scientists believe that the reason nicotine acts as a mild appetite suppressant is because it activates neurons in the brain that control hunger.
Zyn users also absorb more nicotine than smokers, so the appetite-suppressing effects of having a Zyn pouch at the gum line may be even greater than lighting one up.
There was also recent research (In mice) Combining Ozempic with nicotine produced greater weight loss effects, said Dr. Beverly Chan, an endocrinologist at the Weill Cornell University Center for Comprehensive Weight Management in New York. But that doesn’t mean people should use nicotine as a weight loss aid, Zhang stressed.I don’t know how toxic This may be for humans and what the appropriate dose may be.
Ozempic enhances the action of hormones naturally produced in the intestines. By doing so, people can feel full quickly and manage their blood sugar levels. “This is like hormone replacement for people with low GLP-1 levels,” Bramante says.
Nicotine is not like a hormone. It is an addictive stimulant and (unlike Ozempic) has not been studied in randomized controlled trials to assess safety and effectiveness.
Although nicotine pouches avoid the health effects of tobacco, they still have negative effects on the body. These are highly addictive and increase blood pressure. This gives Bramante pause. She is concerned that “how nicotine acts to regulate appetite in people, especially those who are obese, is not fully understood.”
Inflammation, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular problems all play a role when people carry excess weight, and taking Zyn can make things even worse.
Bramante is particularly concerned about obese people taking nicotine for weight loss, as nicotine can increase the amount of an inflammatory molecule (leptin) released by fat cells.
“I encourage them to seek bariatric care from their primary care physician or an obesity medicine specialist with the mindset that bariatric treatment has long-term follow-up and multiple treatment options that can be tailored.” I recommend it. It’s an individual’s needs,” she said.
“Philip Morris International and its affiliates, including Swedish Match, the manufacturer of ZYN, fully meet and exceed the regulations governing our industry,” a Philip Morris spokesperson said in a statement. said in response to BI’s previous report on health effects.
