Betel Nut Causes Oral Cancer

An estimated 600 million people worldwide chew areca nut, commonly called betel nut, with habitual use serving as a major cause of oral cancer. Its main alkaloid, arecoline, damages DNA in epithelial cells and suppresses the tumor-fighting protein p53. A 2026 study estimated that betel nut use could account for 70.5% of oral cancer cases in India and 53.7% in Taiwan. However, only 51.3% of Indian participants knew about the cancer risk, compared with 95.2% in Taiwan.

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