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Menthol cigarettes and health risks in Lung Health Study data
Robert P Murray1, John E Connett, Melissa A Skeans
1Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba. Winnipeg, MB, Canada. rmurray@hsc.mb.ca
Summary
Menthol cigarettes do not appear to increase smoking-related health risks or decrease smoking cessation success compared to plain cigarettes. Long-term data show no significant differences in mortality or disease hazards between menthol and non-menthol smokers.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Tobacco Control
Background:
- The health risks associated with menthol cigarettes compared to plain cigarettes remain a significant public health question.
- Nicotine dependence and smoking cessation outcomes may be influenced by cigarette type.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether menthol cigarettes are associated with increased mortality or disease risk compared to plain cigarettes.
- To examine differences in smoking cessation success rates between menthol and plain cigarette smokers.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 14-year mortality surveillance data from 5,887 adult smokers enrolled in the Lung Health Study (LHS).
- Utilized proportional hazards regression to compare risks for coronary heart disease, cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, and all-cause mortality.
- Compared baseline pack-years and smoking cessation success rates between menthol and plain cigarette smokers.
Main Results:
- No significant differences were found in hazard ratios for coronary heart disease, cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, or all-cause mortality between menthol and plain cigarette smokers.
- Menthol cigarette users reported fewer pack-years at baseline compared to plain cigarette users.
- Smoking cessation success rates did not differ significantly between menthol and plain cigarette groups.
Conclusions:
- Current data provide no evidence that mentholated cigarettes increase the hazards of smoking.
- Menthol cigarette use was not associated with higher mortality or reduced smoking cessation success in this long-term study.
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