A suspected murderer from China escaped police attention for over a decade after his addiction to a popular energy-boosting seed changed his facial appearance.

The fugitive, named as Xie, was wanted by the authorities investigating a murder committed in 2002, according to People's Daily Online.

However he was so keen on chewing betel nuts - a popular snack throughout Asia which is thought to contribute to oral tissue damage - that his mouth shrunk and altered his looks, confounding police.

Xie is reported to have used one of his deceased cousin's ID cards and changed his name, and was eventually identified by police this week in China's central Hunan Province following a tipoff.

The criminal is said to have run an prostitution ring in Shunde, Guangdong Province, and is alleged to have killed a customer who had paid him with fake banknotes along with two accomplices.

After he fled the scene of the killing, Xie allegedly began chewing the betel nuts on a very regular basis in order to cope with stress for his life on the run.

The nuts are especially popular with blue-collar workers across Asia for their stimulating effects that are said to give a similar buzz to drinking six cups of coffee.

However potential side-effects of the practice include red-stained lips and teeth and an increased chance of contracting mouth cancer.

He is not thought to have consciously chewed the seeds in order to alter his looks but benefited from the resulting changes to his mouth to confuse the police as to his real identity.

Betel nut (or areca nut) chewing is believed by scientists to be linked to the pre-cancerous condition oral submucous fibrosis, which Xie may have suffered from.

It leads to an incurable stiffening of the gums and lips and eventually loss of movement in the jaw.

This year in March the Taiwanese government took heed of scientific warnings about the snack and formed plans to curb the habit, which has been widespread for centuries.