Tobacco: menthol lovers have more difficulty quitting
,
Lovers of menthol cigarettes have a
harder time quitting than others, according to a study published in the
"Archives of Internal Medicine."
In the United States, rates of
cancer, cardiovascular disease and other smoking-related diseases are
significantly higher among African Americans than among Caucasian Americans,
despite a lower prevalence of smoking. The first show also a clear preference
for menthol cigarettes, compared with the second, in a proportion of 70%
against 30%, say the authors.
They are therefore hypothesized that
menthol cigarettes are more harmful than regular cigarettes to explain the
significant difference in rates of tobacco-related diseases between the two
ethnicities.
They examined the probability with
1535 smokers enrolled in the study on the development of coronary arterial risk
in young adults (CARDIA), measuring the association between exposure to menthol
cigarettes and smoking cessation, calcification coronary and changes in lung
function over ten years.
The participants, aged 18-30 years
at the time of inclusion in the study in 1985 passed a medical examination and
answered various related issues during their smoking habits of their entry into
the study, then 2, 5, 7, 10 and 15 years after.
In 1985, 63% of smokers showed a
preference for menthol cigarettes, 89% of African Americans, 29% against the
other, this type of cigarettes smoked. Menthol smokers had also tend to be women,
younger and less smoking.
During follow-up, the authors found
that menthol smokers were more likely to continue smoking than others: for
example in 2000, 69% were still smoking, 54% of consumers against other types
of cigarettes. After adjusting for variables, it was found that this difference
was mainly due to the fact that African Americans preferred the menthols and
they were also less likely to quit smoking, the researchers report.
"Among smokers who tried to
quit, menthol does not seem related to the stop but, instead, it is associated
with a reduced tendency to try," they write. In addition, menthol smokers
were twice as likely to relapse after trying to quit and abstain for shorter
periods.
However, the authors found no
difference regarding ethnic coronary calcification and decline in lung
function, both related to the number of cigarettes smoked, whether or not
menthol.
"The scent of menthol cigarettes do not
seem to explain disparities in ischemic heart disease or in obstructive
pulmonary disease between African Americans and Caucasian Americans in the
United States but may partly explain the lower rate of smoking cessation in
smokers Afro-Americans, "the authors conclude, therefore advising them to
change their habits and prefer regular cigarettes
Author: Mohammad
Mohammad is the founder of STC Network which offers Web Services and Online Business Solutions to clients around the globe. Read More →