Summary
Introduction:
This text is a summary of a scientific study examining the response of smokers to shortened cigarettes as a means of reducing the dose of smoke available without diluting the concentration of tobacco smoke. The study compares this method to dose reduction by dilution, which is achieved by switching to cigarettes with lower tar and nicotine deliveries. The study measures various aspects of smoking behavior, mouth-level nicotine intake, and intake to the lungs.
Key Points:
* The study was conducted with 10 smokers who were provided with shortened cigarettes (three-quarter and half-length) and were asked to smoke them ad libitum in a Latin square design.
* Smokers compensated for the reduced dose of smoke by increasing the intensity of puffing and smoking more cigarettes, resulting in a 58% compensation in smoke intake at the lungs.
* There was no evidence of any compensatory increase in the amount of smoke inhaled from each cigarette, indicating that increasing consumption was the only maneuver used to maintain smoke intake at the lung level.
* Mouth-level nicotine intake was regulated by increasing intake per cigarette as well as consumption.
* Smoke dilution gives rise to a compensatory increase in the degree of inhalation from each cigarette, while dose reduction without dilution (as in switching to shortened cigarettes) results in a compensatory increase in inhalation achieved only by smoking more cigarettes.
* The study highlights the difference between dose reduction by dilution and other methods, as well as the potential use of irritants like acrolein to inhibit inhalation.
Main Message:
The study provides valuable insights into the response of smokers to dose reduction without dilution, as in switching to shortened cigarettes. The key takeaway is that smokers compensate for the reduced dose by increasing the intensity of puffing and smoking more cigarettes, but the amount of smoke inhaled from each cigarette is not significantly increased. The study also highlights the potential use of irritants like acrolein to inhibit inhalation, which could be a new approach to safer smoking. Overall, the study underscores the importance of understanding the complex behavior of smokers in response to changes in cigarette design and the need for further research in this area.
Citation
Russell, M a h, S R Sutton, C Feyerabend, and Y Saloojee. “Smokers’ Response to Shortened Cigarettes: Dose Reduction without Dilution of Tobacco Smoke.” Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics 27, no. 2 (February 1980): 210–18. https://doi.org/10.1038/clpt.1980.33.
