bidi, nicotine et cancer

En faveur de l'hypothèse purement nicotinique de l'effet bidi, cet article scientifique qui démontre que d'une part la teneur en nicotine du bidi est plus forte que celle de la cigarette, et d'autre part que le passage sanguin de la nicotine est également plus important avec le bidi. L'effet cancérigène serait lui aussi plus fort chez les fumeurs de bidis que de cigarettes:

Bidis, an alternate type of cigarette, consisting of finely ground, sun-dried tobacco rolled in a brown temburni (Diospyros melanoxylon) leaf is the most popular form of tobacco used in India. ^[9] In the present study, the nicotine content of bidis was found to be 26.9 mg/gm, whereas it was 15 mg/gm in cigarettes.  Pakhale et al ., in their study on the nicotine concentration of bidis, found it to be 37.7 mg/gm. ^[19],[20] Malson et al . found exported Indian brands of bidis to have a concentration of nicotine of 21.2 mg/gm, which is lower than the value found in the present study (26.9 mg/gm). ^[20] This difference in nicotine concentration can be attributed, perpaps, to the different brands of unflavoured Indian bidis used. Results from a clinical study that measured plasma nicotine concentrations indicate that higher concentrations of nicotine were seen after smoking bidis than cigarettes. ^[7],[21]  Epidemiological studies in India have showed that bidi use is associated with increased incidence of oral, pharyngeal, laryngeal, lung, esophagal cancers, ^[23],[24] as well as stomach and liver cancer; ^{[25],[26],[27]} also, overall cancer risks are higher for bidi smokers than for cigarette smokers. ^{[24],[28],[29]}

Reddy SS, Shaik Hyder Ali KH. Estimation of nicotine content in popular Indian brands of smoking and chewing tobacco products. Indian J Dent Res  2008;19:88-91. Available from: http://www.ijdr.in/text.asp?2008/19/2/88/40458