Study Says Menthol Cigarettes Are More Addictive

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Want to quit smoking? A new study says that smokers puffing on menthol cigarettes have a harder time quitting, especially among African American and Latino smokers.

Researchers at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey studied a group of 1,700 smokers that had attended a Tobacco Dependence Clinic at the UMDNJ-School of Public Health.

“We previously found that menthol cigarette smokers take in more nicotine and carbon monoxide per cigarette. This study shows that menthol smokers also find it harder to quit, despite smoking fewer cigarettes per day,” said study author Kunal Gandhi, MBBS, MPH.

According to Jonathan Foulds, director of the Tobacco Dependence Clinic, “More than 80 percent of the African American smokers attending our clinic smoke menthols, and they have half the quit rate of African Americans who smoke non-menthol cigarettes. These results build on growing evidence suggesting that menthol is not a neutral flavoring in cigarettes. It masks the harshness of the nicotine and toxins, affects the way the cigarette is smoked and makes it more deadly and addictive.”

Researchers state that the “cooling effect” of menthol cigarettes makes it easier to inhale more nicotine, which in turn makes smokers want a higher dose of nicotine. “That may be part of the reason why African Americans have much higher rates of lung cancer,” Foulds said. Findings in this study may mean more regulations of cigarettes in the future.

This study will be published in The International Journal of Clinical Practice.

Maybe smokers wanting to quit should try the Liquid Smoking Drink instead.

Source: RWJMS Press Release