Menthol Cigarettes can Increase Nicotine Addiction Risk, Research

Menthol cigarettes can lead to nicotine addiction in teenagers, a new Canadian study suggests.

According to researchers at the University of Waterloo, teens who smoke menthol cigarettes tend to smoke more cigarettes.

Research has shown that menthol cigarettes are popular among teens in the U.S, especially those belonging to minority groups. Most young smokers believe that menthol cigarettes are safer than the traditional ones. However, there is no scientific evidence to back this idea. Menthol cigarettes can cause severe health problems, heart disease and cancers.

"The appeal of menthol cigarettes among youth stems from the perception that they are less harmful than regular cigarettes. The minty taste helps mask the noxious properties, but the reality is that they are just as dangerous as any unflavoured cigarette," said Sunday Azagba, a scientist at Propel and lead author on the paper.

The study was based on data from 4,736 Canadian students in grades 9-12, who had participated in the 2010-2011 Canadian Youth Smoking Survey. Data analysis showed that around Thirty-two percent of smokers in grades 9-12 smoked menthol cigarettes in the last 30 days.

Researchers found that teens who smoked menthol cigarettes used, on an average, 43 cigarettes a week, which is almost twice as high as 26 smoked by non-menthol users. Also, menthol smokers were more likely to say that they intended to continue smoking next year than non-menthol smokers.

"There is a growing concern that the high popularity of menthol cigarettes among youth may hinder the recent progress in preventing other young people from smoking because many of them may experiment with menthol rather than unflavoured brands," said Azagba in a news release.

The study is published in the journal Cancer Causes and Control.