vishah 1 Posted November 1, 2007 (edited) source from answers.google(contact admin if its a beneficial link) Question : I am 11 weeks pregnant and have a real craving for sweet supari (the kind with betel nuts, I think, in the small white package with blue and pink flowers- I don't know that name...) (edit:I think its RASILY -vishah ) is it ok to chew occasionally, especially if I just suck for a few seconds and spit the nuts? And also is paan, the kind with the leaf which you get at the sweets shop ok, if I only eat the red? Thank you! Answers:by aceresearcher-ga I suspect that you are asking this Question because you have an idea that such products might not be safe. You are very wise for checking first, before using them. The substances in these products can certainly be harmful to both you and your baby. I STRONGLY encourage you not to partake of these products, certainly NOT while you are pregnant, and NOT while you are nursing an infant. In most cases, these products contain at the very least tobacco, which contains nicotine, a substance which has been proven to cause cancer: From "Facts About ... Is There A Safe Tobacco?" by the American Lung Association: "Do all forms of tobacco contain nicotine? Yes, the nicotine in tobacco is what people become addicted to. While most smokers know that they are addicted, many do not realize that nicotine can be just as addictive as heroin or cocaine. And, it causes more death and disease than all other addictions combined. In its pure form, nicotine is a strong poison. A small dose of it, injected directly into the bloodstream, would kill a person within one hour." (you are not allowed to post links yet)"you can't post links until you reach 50 posts_you are not allowed to post links yetsmokehelp(contact admin if its a beneficial link)/html/safe_tobacco.html"]you can't post links until you reach 50 posts_you are not allowed to post links yetsmokehelp(contact admin if its a beneficial link)/html/safe_tobacco.html[/url] Nicotine can be passed from you to your unborn baby through your bloodstream, and nicotine can also be passed from you to your newborn infant through your breast milk. From "Chemical Dependency Education -- Nicotine:" "Nicotine is especially harmful to pregnant women and the unborn child. It may contribute to miscarriage, still birth, low weight birth, and sudden infant death syndrome." (you are not allowed to post links yet)"you can't post links until you reach 50 posts_you are not allowed to post links yetdcia(contact admin if its a beneficial link)/chem-dep.html"]you can't post links until you reach 50 posts_you are not allowed to post links yetdcia(contact admin if its a beneficial link)/chem-dep.html[/url] In addition, these products have frequently been found to contain other harmful substances: "Sale of supari, gutka goes unchecked despite ban", Business Recorder, (January 2, 2001): KARACHI : The Helpline Trust appreciating Sindh Ombudsman for imposing ban on manufacturing, marketing, sale and use of betel-nuts (supari) and its varied preparations including gutka, has expressed its deep concern over non enforcement of the decision announced some time ago... ...samples of leading brands of supari were taken from the local market and chemically examined in the laboratory. The results confirmed the presence of *** morphine, tobacco, saccharine, colouring agents and heroin content *** in the items. Some samples also developed fungal growth within 46 hours, showing poor hygienic conditions during packaging of these materials." (you are not allowed to post links yet)"you can't post links until you reach 50 posts_lists.isb.sdnpk(contact admin if its a beneficial link)/pipermail/health-list/2001-January/000235.html"]you can't post links until you reach 50 posts_lists.isb.sdnpk(contact admin if its a beneficial link)/pipermail/healt...ary/000235.html[/url] "To Asians a Spicy Chew, to Doctors a Deadly Habit", By Danielle Knight, The New York Times (November 10, 2002): For centuries, South Asians have chewed paan, a sweet mixture of lime paste, cardamom, fennel, honey, areca nut and, often though not always, flavored tobacco, all wrapped in a betel leaf. But that imported habit is beginning to worry health professionals who see a growing epidemic of oral cancer in India spreading to immigrants in New York... Imported packaged versions of dried paan without the betel leaf, known as paan masala and gutka, are easily found... Physicians and health professionals are worried. 'We are definitely concerned about gutka use,' said Sukirti Bagal, director of the American Cancer Society's Asian Tobacco Initiative. 'It is widely used, but unlike smoking, it is not considered taboo or addictive. Many people don't think it is tobacco, because it is mixed with other spices.'" (you are not allowed to post links yet)"you can't post links until you reach 50 posts_groups.yahoo(contact admin if its a beneficial link)/group/sapha/message/2262"]you can't post links until you reach 50 posts_groups.yahoo(contact admin if its a beneficial link)/group/sapha/message/2262[/url] I strongly encourage you to find a safer substance to satisfy your craving for sweets. In the United States, the joke is that two common items craved by pregnant women are ice cream and dill pickles. I hope that you can find just the right item -- a SAFE one -- to satisfy your own cravings. Edited November 1, 2007 by vishah Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
