- Snus users have tripled in the last four years in the UK, according to research
- Read more: The truth about snus: Why one in five footballers are putting nicotine pouches in their mouths - as experts reveal what it really does to your body
Snus - Hooked on Nicotine, presented by journalist Tir Dhondy, looks at how tobacco pouches and nicotine pods have become increasingly popular amongst sports stars in recent decades - including Leicester City's Jamie Vardy and Arsenal's Ben White - with 42 per cent of pro players across the men and women's game saying they've tried it.
Popular in Nordic countries for decades, 'snus' (pronounced snooze) traditionally refers to tobacco pouches but is now also being used to describe nicotine pods too, which contain no tobacco.
Pods/pouches - also sometimes known as 'dip' - are placed on the gum under the upper lip and left for up to two hours, allowing the nicotine to take effect by entering the bloodstream.
Legal to buy in the UK, even if you're under 18, snus users have tripled in the last four years in the UK, according to research.
The documentary, produced by Channel 4's Untold, sees Dhondy interviewing former Championship footballer Kyle Bennett, 33, who reveals how he began using snus 'to fit in' as a young player at Bury, and is now addicted to it.
The footballer, who has never smoked or vaped, tells her: 'There was a player there that I looked up to a lot doing it so I thought that was cool.'
Bennett says he hated it at first but 'persisted with it, to fit in socially'. He said using snus helped to deal with expectations from supporters week in week out.
Pro footballer Kyle Bennett speaks frankly about his nicotine addiction in Snus - Hooked on Nicotine, a Channel 4 Untold documentary, saying he hated at first but quickly became addicted to the nicotine pouches that are placed on the gumline for a hit
Bennett, who's played for Grimsby Town (pictured), Doncaster Rovers and Bury during his career, says he began using snus 'to fit in' and quickly became addicted to it
Nicopods use strong imagery on the tins, which cost between £4 and £7 for a 20-pod can. Right: A Pablo X-Ice cold tin of pods contains 12.8mg of nicotine per pod
Leicester City star Jamie Vardy pictured in 2016 in his England training kit carrying a tin of nicotine pods; other footballers including Ben White and ex Chelsea star Ashley Cole have been spotted with tins of snus
Dr Reid, from Loughborough University London, surveyed almost 700 players from leagues in the professional men's game and the Women's Super League. He said the highest number of pouches he'd heard about was one footballer putting eight into their gums at once
TikTok personal trainer @mentoredbymaya also appears in the documentary, saying trying to quit her snus habit was 'hell'
'You don't always perform to the best ability that you can. After a game, you've been beaten or whatever, the first thing you want to do is put a snus in, relax you out, and then it becomes a coping mechanism.'
He adds: 'For myself, it's become an addiction'.
A personal trainer with a prominent TikTok following, @mentoredbymaya, also features in the documentary, speaking frankly about her addiction and her battle to stop using pouches.
She tells Dhondy that she used pouches twice a day at first but now uses around 14 to 15 a day - around 250mg of nictotine, roughly around the same amount as 17 to 20 cigarettes.
She says: 'I thought I'd just stop but nicotine withdrawal? For me it was hell'.
Loughborough University London surveyed 700 professional players across the Premier League, Championship, Leagues One and Two and the WSL and found that around 42% of players had tried it and one in five were regular users.
Dr Daniel Reid, who conducted the survey, said the highest number of pouches he'd heard about was one footballer putting eight pouches into their gums at once.
Dhondy also interviewed behavioural scientist Dr Harry Tattan-Birch at University College London who says that using snus could lead to addiction and health problems.
He tells the programme: 'Compared to cigarettes, these products do remove a lot of the risks in terms of the cancers but the biggest risk is people try these products who don't smoke or vape.'
He said the products' 'rapid release of nicotine' meant people were more likely to become addicted to them: 'Over time they'll need more nicotine to get the same subjective feeling and then someone might progress onto stronger and stronger products.'
While research data on the health impacts remains limited, snus has been linked to heart disease, oral cancer and respiratory conditions, with the more extreme varieties containing nearly three times as much nicotine as an ordinary cigarette.
Bennett says the first thing you want to do when you've finished a game is take snus 'to relax you out'
'Nicotine is not a harmless drug. It's a stimulant. Most of the harm is likely to come from cardiovascular problems - heart attacks, stroke, heart disease.'
He added that nicotine use also has strong links with poor mental health.
On TikTok, there are hundreds of clips promoting snus, with brands including Killa, Nordic Spirit and Velo sold in colourful tins in a wide variety of flavours including watermelon, cola and blueberry mint.
The majority of tobacco-free nicotine pouches and pods are sold online in the UK via polished-looking websites - with users asked to confirm their over 18 status before buying them. Purchases take seconds, with next day delivery available from many of the sites selling such products.
The amount of nicotine in pods and pouches varies per brand, with one 'normal' pouch containing around 4mg. However, many of the products on sale appear to be marketed as 'extra strong', containing around 12.8mg per hit.
A £5.49 'extreme' pack of Cuba Ninja Bubblegum has a whopping 30mg per pouch - the average traditional cigarette contains 12mg.
TikTok videos promoting the use of smokeless tobacco pouches and nicotine pods - often known as Snus (snuff) - have seen a suggested increase in use - with a new 12-month study set to look at how many professional footballers in the UK are using the product, and the potential health impacts of doing so
On TikTok, companies selling products such as Killa promote the 'nicopods', reaching a wide audience and often under 18s
Polished-looking websites make the pods and pouches - which look like small teabags - easy to buy online
The use of snus is nothing new; in wartime Britain, a variation of it known as 'snuff' was hugely popular, although the tobacco fibres were sniffed directly into the nasal cavity.
The last decade has seen the use of Snus on the rise in the UK after high profile celebrities have been pictured with tins - including Leicester City footballer Jamie Vardy and Prime drink co-founder KSI.
While playing for England in 2016, Vardy was pictured in France clutching a can of Red Bull and a tin of Thunder Snus.
In the US, everyone from The Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl to Slash from Guns 'N Roses and many Major League Baseball players have said they've tried Snus.
One TikTok video, posted by @Snusboys1, sees a first-time user trying a pouch of cola flavoured £3.99 Killa, containing 12.8mg of nicotine, in a branch of Five Guys burger restaurant.
The clip shows the young male tucking the pouch under his lip. Five minutes later, as the nicotine hit rushes in, he's seen sweating, and says that he feels 'dizzy' before he rushes to the toilets to vomit, pleading with his friend to stop filming.
Former professional footballer Danny Murphy told TalkSport earlier this year that as a former smoker, he'd used snus: He said: "Yeah [I have used snus]. They are quite strong. I wasn't a fan. I was a smoker for years. I hate to admit it and I don't now thankfully.
'I didn't need them but I know loads of lads… because it was more accepted, socially, to have that in your mouth than to be sitting there smoking a fag.'
Some organisations, including campaign group Snus & Nicotine Pouch Users Alliance, who MailOnline has tried to contact for comment, claim the use of pouches and pods could 'save lives' because they're potentially less harmful than inhaling smoke.
GP Dr Naveed Akhtar told MailOnline that using perceived 'healthier' alternatives to cigarettes is still very likely to harm your health.
In one clip, a first-time user sucks an 'extra strong' Killa cola flavoured nicotine pod while being filmed. Five minutes later, as the effect kicks in, he says he feels 'dizzy and sick'
The clip closes with the first-time user vomiting in the bathroom of a Five Guys burger chain after trying the 'nicopod'
He explains: 'When comparing snus to smoking and vaping, it's crucial to recognise that all three have health risks. Smoking remains one of the most hazardous behaviours, with a plethora of health issues associated with it.
'Vaping, while potentially less harmful than smoking, is not without its risks, particularly concerning lung health.
'Snus, in this context, might be a less harmful alternative to smoking but should not be seen as a safe option and still carries health risks, including links to heart disease, oral health, and overall fitness. In addition, nicotine addiction can still disrupt sleep, appetite, and overall energy levels, affecting physical performance and recovery.'
Tobacco-free products currently don't come under the same regulations as cigarettes and e-cigarettes - falling only under general consumer product safety regulations, meaning under 18s could access nicotine pods.
Writing in the Nursing Times earlier this year, Dr Sarah Brown, a paediatric respiratory consultant at Royal London Hospital called for better regulation around the selling of pouches.
She wrote: 'There needs to be increased awareness of the use of smokeless tobacco and nicotine products by children and young people and further data collected.
'This should include data on usage, perceptions and how products are acquired, with work in schools to make pupils, parents and teachers aware of any dangers. The legal loophole whereby nicotine pouches are unregulated and can be sold to children needs to be addressed.
Dr Brown also called for health professionals to 'make parents who use them aware of the dangers of nicotine poisoning to children, and ill-advised statements regarding the safety of smokeless tobacco need to be challenged.'
