Abstract
Areca nut is a highly addictive substance with carcinogenic properties and causes many harmful effects to the human body. Alkaloids are the major chemicals found in areca nut, and their mechanism of action has been studied for several years. About 600 million people around the world use areca nut, and its usage is higher in Asian countries. Areca nut chewers get used to the habit mainly due to social influence, stress, or lack of awareness. Some studies have reported a dependence syndrome related to areca nut chewing. Even though there are many ongoing research studies regarding tobacco addiction, less concern has been given to the areca nut addiction. There are only few studies related to areca nut cessation, and even those few cessation programs are mainly designed using tobacco cessation methodology. Sociocultural influence, behavioral factors, and accessibility are the main barriers to cessation. Behavior changing interventions proved to be more effective in areca nut cessation, but recently studies on pharmacological therapies are also emerging.
Highlights
Areca nut, known as betel nut, is the seed of the palmaceous Areca catechu tree
Several studies have shown that the imbalance between collagen formation and breakdown due to increased tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases (TIMPs) and reduced matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) leads to accumulation of collagen causing fibrosis [45, 48,49,50,51]. ree separate studies conducted by Tsai et al revealed that interleukin-6, keratinocyte growth factor-1, and insulin-like growth factor-1 expressions were significantly upregulated in persons with oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) due to betel quid chewing and arecoline may be responsible for that [52,53,54]
As a result of various reasons including cultural beliefs, social misconceptions, lack of policies, and lack of research, many people are unaware of the possible harmful effects of areca nut
Summary
Known as betel nut, is the seed of the palmaceous Areca catechu tree. It is a primary ingredient in betel quid. People use areca nut alone or in a betel quid comprising ingredients such as betel leaf, slaked lime, and tobacco [4]. Areca nut is consumed in raw form or in processed forms (boiled, roasted, fermented, and sweetened) with or without tobacco in India and other South Asian countries. Areca nut pieces are used as mawa with tobacco and slaked lime. Apart from being an ingredient in betel quid and mawa, areca nut is used in commercial products such as gutka and pan masala. Is is a comprehensive review on the areca nut addiction, its harmful effects, and various modalities that are being used to achieve cessation of the habit. is paper highlights the strengths and limitations of various areca nut cessation programs and present recommendations for the success of future cessation programs
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