Low nicotine cigarettes may help smokers cut determined

It is clear that smoking night the heart, lungs, and virtually all other body systems. According to the Centers for Disease Control and prevention of diseases, smoking remains the leading preventable cause of death in the United States.

So why do people do it?

It is nicotine. This stimulant, found on all tobacco products, snuff, smoking makes them feel calm and relaxed - and can quickly lead to dependence. The more you smoke, the greater the need to smoke to feel good. It is the power of nicotine makes it so difficult to stop.

But what if you could reduce the amount of nicotine in cigarettes available to start? Would it help people quit - or might cause them to smoke more to compensate?

Recently, a team of researchers set out to answer this question, following more than 800 adults who smoked at least five cigarettes a day. The volunteers in the study had no desire to quit. They were asked to continue smoking regardless of their regular brand of cigarette smoke or one of six types of cigarettes research had different amounts of nicotine, ranging from 15.8 milligrams (mg) of nicotine per gram snuff (the amount in most trademark) all the way down to 0.4 mg per gram. The smokers were followed for six weeks. The results of the study were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

These results were unexpected. People who receive low nicotine cigarettes smoked 23% to 30% fewer cigarettes per day than those who smoked cigarettes with 15.8 mg of nicotine per gram. Perhaps even more surprisingly, smokers with low nicotine cigarettes were also reduced nicotine addiction - and fewer cravings for cigarettes when they did not smoke.

The study lasted only six weeks, we need more trials to really help us understand if the low-nicotine cigarettes are optional "safe" for people who are determined to smoke (as many as one in five Americans is gift) smoker. However, these results suggest that if nicotine content in cigarettes could be reduced commercial, users smoke less and less likely to be "addicted" that could mitigate the health risks associated with smoking.

For those who want to cut nicotine, there are good options that can help meet the challenge. They come in many shapes, nicotine patches and gum, pills and nasal sprays - not to mention electronic cigarettes, which work by vaporizing nicotine. E-cigarettes have become popular, but to date we do not know for sure that they are safer than regular cigarettes, and that can really help people quit.

Prescription medications such as bupropion (Zyban) and varenicline (Chantix) can also help smokers quit. All these methods work particularly well when combined with behavioral support, such as talk therapy. Of course, it often takes several attempts to quit before they succeed - but you can do.

Anything that reduces the dangers of smoking is a step in the right direction. But as we know him for years, the stage is really the best to stop smoking completely.
By: Mallika Marshall, MD,