Reducing nicotine can help people kick the butt

A New England Journal Of Medicine study gave 839 current smokers, who did not want to quit, either their regular cigarettes or altered cigarettes with different and lower amounts of nicotine.

This study indicates that by significantly reducing the nicotine content of cigarettes, it is possible to reduce the addictiveness of cigarettes to help more smokers quit.

The double-blind, parallel, randomized clinical trial had participants smoke for six weeks-either their usual brand or one of six investigational cigarettes-that varied in nicotine content from 15.8 mg/g tobacco (typical of commercial brands) to 0.4 mg/g. This is important because the Food and Drug Administration now has the authority to regulate how much nicotine goes in a cigarette.

The experiment was done on 840 smokers who told the investigators when they signed up that they had no interest in quitting. Smokers assigned to the lowest nicotine level that had high tar concentration were found to have more dependence factors compared to the standard-tar version.

Most public buildings are now smoke free, and smokers must smoke outside.

Nicotine is highly addictive and it is the main reason quitting smoking is so hard.

“Flavored tobacco products are enticing a new generation of America’s youth into nicotine addiction, condemning many of them to tobacco-related disease and early death”, Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a CDC news release.

Based on their findings, researchers concluded that nicotine content can affect cigarette use and dependence.

Thirty days after the end of the study, about 35% of the volunteers who had been smoking the low-nicotine cigarettes had tried to quit versus 17% of those consuming regular-strength cigarettes. But the law allowed the FDA to “explore whether there is a level below which nicotine yields do not produce dependence”, and said the agency should make recommendations accordingly to the Department of Health and Human Services. But the new study suggests there’s no need to reduce nicotine levels gradually over time. “It says we’re going to cut down on the nicotine, but we’ll kind of let you keep your habit”.

Spokesmen for R.J. Reynolds and Altria, two of the country’s biggest tobacco manufacturers, said the companies were still reviewing the study. Donny said he’s now conducting a study that follows 1,250 people for five months. “Before establishing any regulations in this area, FDA will assess relevant science and evidence and solicit input on these topics from members of the public”. Over the years, he said, cigarette manufacturers have altered nicotine’s chemistry by adding ammonia, and manipulated how deeply consumers inhale tobacco smoke, all in a bid to increase the power of nicotine’s addictive hook. Edelman was not involved with the study.

But Lukowski and Edelman see one potential downside if the FDA orders tobacco companies to lower nicotine levels in their products.

Two large cigarette makers – R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., which sells Camel and other brands, and Altria Group Inc., which owns Philip Morris U.S. – declined to comment.

Federal regulators may want to see more results before ordering industrywide nicotine limits on smoked tobacco, David said.

Hughes says the increasing popularity in “vaping” appear to be a threat, to counter a few major victories against the use of conventional tobacco products – and that’s a concern.