American teenagers who switch to menthol-flavored cigarettes smoke more regularly and become more addicted to the tobacco alkaloid than young boys and girls who smoke conventional cigarettes.
- Menthol is an alcohol extracted from the essence of mint. It is a derivative of menthane.
- Menthol is used as an antiseptic and analgesic in medicine, but also in perfumery and confectionery as an aromatic element.
“Do young menthol cigarette smokers smoke more frequently and show more symptoms of nicotine dependence than non-menthol cigarette smokers?”. This is the question asked by researchers at the University of California in the United States. To answer this, they decided to carry out work between September 2013 and November 2019, the results of which were published in the journal JAMA Network Open June 6.
For the purposes of the study, the scientists recruited 1,096 young cigarette smokers aged 12 to 17 years. Interviews with volunteers were conducted online. Young Americans who smoked cigarettes in the past 30 days and who indicated whether they smoked menthol cigarettes were eligible. According to the authors, there were a total of 1,492 recorded sightings.
“The cooling sensation of menthol can make cigarettes more pleasant”
Among participants who transitioned from non-smoker to smoker (61% of the sample), smoking menthol cigarettes was associated with smoking an additional 3.1 days, with a 59% higher risk of smoking regularly and 10% higher nicotine dependence scores. In contrast, switching from menthol-flavored cigarettes to non-menthol cigarettes was correlated with a 3.6-day reduction in tobacco consumption and a 47% reduction in the risk of being a frequent smoker.
“The cooling sensation of menthol masks the harshness of tobacco, which can make cigarettes more pleasant to young eyes. In addition, this cooling sensation makes it possible to inhale the smoke deeper and longer, which can lead to greater absorption of nicotine with each puff. This can accelerate nicotine addiction, leading young people to smoke more often”, said Eric Leas, lead author of the study, in a statement. According to the researcher, menthol cigarettes make it more difficult to progress towards quitting smoking.
