Snorting tobacco in the form of snuff is even more risky than previously thought, research suggests.

Although perhaps not as popular as it was in previous centuries, snuff has enjoyed something of a resurgence in some countries in recent years.

It has also been touted as a safer, and perhaps more socially acceptable, alternative to cigarette-smoking, and even an aid to quitting.

However, preliminary results from a team of researchers examining native American women who take snuff suggest that its carcinogenic effects may have been underestimated.

Although the numbers in the study are small, their analysis found an eightfold increase in the risk of developing breast cancer.

Dr John Spangler told a conference in Orlando, Florida: "This suggests that smokeless tobacco is not a safe alternative to cigarette smoking.

"Although smokeless tobacco use among women nationally is only 0.6%, 2.5% of women here in North Carolina use smokeless tobacco."

The women taking part in the survey were Cherokees living on tribal lands in Western North Carolina - they frequently use snuff.

Fashionable

Most people associate the practice of snuff-taking with older people, but it has been increasing among the young, although it is still tiny in comparison with cigarette smoking.

UK suppliers have suggested that young women are also taking snuff, which is produced by grinding up the tobacco into a fine powder.

Proponents of snuff suggest that it is the burning of tobacco in cigarettes and pipes which releases the carcinogens.

It has previously, however been associated with an increased risk of nasal cancer.

And at the moment it is not subject to additional treasury taxes like cigarettes are, making it substantially cheaper than the same amount of tobacco in cigarettes.