Reducing Nicotine May Not Increase Smoking Intensity

Smoking cigarettes with reduced nicotine levels did not cause adults to overcompensate by consuming more cigarettes, nor did it increase exposure to toxic chemicals, according to a recent study.

“Our study suggests that smokers are unable or unwilling to compensate when there is markedly less nicotine in the cigarette and when the experience of smoking is far less rewarding. Our study may help regulators anticipate the possible consequences of mandatory nicotine reductions in cigarettes,” said David Hammond, PhD an author of the study and an associate professor for the School of Public Health and Health Systems at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada.
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For the study, researchers evaluated 42 female and 30 male smokers between the ages of 18 to 65. Participants were asked to complete a demographic data survey and smoking history before they smoked their 4-week study period. The first week individuals smoked their regular brand of cigarettes and gave urine and breath samples at the end of the week.

This was followed by consecutive 7-day periods in which participants smoked cigarettes with progressively lower levels of nicotine (0.6, 0.3, and 0.05 mg of nicotine Quest cigarettes).

The results showed no difference in the number of puffs, the post-cigarette carbon monoxide levels in their breath, the number of cigarettes used, and no difference of 1-hydroxypyrene (cancer-causing chemicals) levels in their urine.

Investigators noted that nicotine intake dropped significantly in individuals smoking Quest 2 (0.3 mg) and Quest 3 (0.05 mg), compared with their usual brand (~1.2 mg), but not in Quest 1 (0.6 mg) cigarettes.

The complete study is published in the August issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

-Michelle Canales

References:

Hammond D, O’Connor R. Reduced nicotine cigarettes: smoking behavior and biomarkers of exposure among smokers not intending to quit. Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev. 2014 August [epub ahead of print] doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-13-0957.

American Association for Cancer Research. Cigarettes with reduced nicotine may not increase smoking intensity. August 22, 2014. www.aacr.org/Newsroom/Pages/News-Release-Detail.aspx?ItemID=585#.U_dXAV4ipFw. Accessed August 22, 2014.