Which Is Safer, Smoking or Nginang?

Besides burned in the form of cigarettes, tobacco is also enjoyed by other means including chewed with betel leaf (nginang). Although not smoky, nginang proved to have the same health risks of smoking.
The tradition of chewing tobacco is widely known in various regions in Indonesia and worldwide. One of them in Central Java and the surrounding area, popular with the term or nyusur nginang.
When nginang, tobacco is not used alone but there are mixtures. Among these are deposits of limestone (Java: njet), betel nuts, gambier leaves and betel leaf have not forgotten.
Society believes, can benefit from this tradition of oral health. Although not much research on these allegations, most penginang does have a healthy mouth and teeth are strong though slightly yellowish color.
This assumption may be true, because the gambier and some mixture of betel leaves is known as an antiseptic. Phytochemical compounds contained in it can prevent the growth of germs cause toothache and bad breath.
In addition nginang also use as a mixture of lime deposits. The precipitate which has formed a paste contains calcium, which is believed to have benefits for healthy teeth and bones.
At this point, the benefits have not been refuted nginang. But there is still one more component that must controversial, namely tobacco. If tobacco is said to be dangerous when in the form of cigarettes, whether the same is true also in nginang?
As reported from ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, Monday (31/05/2010) a study ever conducted by the National Board of Health and Welfare (1997) to see it. It turned out that the smokeless tobacco (non-cigarette tobacco products) including nginang, encountered the same health risks of smoking even a little smaller.
The risk of heart disease and blood vessels in smokeless tobacco increased 2-fold compared to when it does not consume tobacco. While on cigarettes, the risk terebut menginkat 3-fold.
In addition, smokeless tobacco can increase blood pressure so that increase the risk of hypertension. The same is true of cigarettes.
Because of its negative impact is smaller, in this case can be said nginang safer than cigarettes. Moreover, the effect is only experienced by those concerned, unlike cigarette smokers are familiar with the term passive.
If the negative impact of the health side nginang been found, the negative impact of the environment actually exists.
One component in nginang is areca nut, which contains the alkaloid called arecoline.This compound will provide a distinctive color to the saliva when nginang, which is bright red.
Bad habits in the villages is spit carelessly. With the color of saliva such, the habit of course will leave a stain of red spots everywhere.
Actually the people in Indonesia such as Java have a special container for spitting, a canister called the spittoon. Environmental problems will be solved if only everyone who nginang have this kind of container.