3rd STEMS Conference - Maldives 2025

While the WHO reports progress in the fight against tobacco epidemic, betel-nut economy is booming. Arecoline from betel nut is however a known carcinogen and the fourth most used psychoactive substance worldwide. Research shows that areca nut and betel quid consumption is severely detrimental to human health and has been driving the increase in the incidence of oral cancer, among other diseases, in ASEAN countries. Long-term use of betel quid is believed to increase the risk of heart disease, chronic kidney disease, and liver cirrhosis, and it is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. It is important to appreciate that only a fraction of betel quid contains tobacco and that areca nut is an independent risk factor for cancer. 

Betel nut has received comparatively little attention and unlike tobacco there is currently no global policy to guide the curb on betel quid and areca nut use. A first, essential step in moving forward with the global research and policy agenda is to include these substances in the list of risk factors of adverse health outcomes.