Research

Lung cancer mortality risk for U.S. menthol cigarette smokers
A study published in Nicotine & Tobacco Research examined the mortality risk for smokers of menthol cigarettes versus smokers of nonmenthol cigarettes. The researchers analyzed data from the 1987 National Health Interview Survey Cancer Control Supplement and the National Health Interview Survey-Linked Mortality File to determine study subjects’ survival rates as of 2006, with adjustments for smoking habits and demographic factors. Among participants over age 50, menthol smokers had a significantly lower lung cancer mortality risk compared to nonmenthol smokers (hazard ratio = 0.59). It is unclear whether the difference is due to the impact of menthol flavoring on cigarette smoking behavior or a difference in the cigarette design between menthol and nonmenthol cigarettes. Click here to read the study abstract.

Weekend smoking can damage your memory, study suggests
According to new research, light smokers and social smokers may sustain just as much harm to their memory as daily smokers. When researchers gave smokers and nonsmokers a memory test, both heavy and light smokers performed more poorly than participants that had never smoked, and there was no significant difference in performance between the weekend-only smokers versus the heavier smokers. Click here to read a summary of the findings, or click here to read the study in the journal, Open Addiction.

top

Back to Table of Contents