Can I get mouth cancer from betel nut?
Many scientific studies have shown that chewing or eating betel nuts are hazardous to humans and their health. The short answer is yes, you can get mouth cancer from eating or chewing betel nuts. Long-term use of these nuts has been linked with both pre-cancerous oral lesions and squamous cell carcinoma. In an alarming example from a culture that regularly chews betel nuts, rates of oral cancer in Taiwan have quadrupled over the last several decades, and researchers investigating this phenomenon have discovered that the country's high rate of betel nut consumption is a significant factor. Most research has found a host of other negative side effects as well, including heart disease, increased pulse rate, and excessive sweating. Most experts conclude that betel nut usage is just as harmful to humans as smoking.
