A new study published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention shows that individuals who use reduced-nicotine cigarettes do not, in fact, smoke increased amounts to make up for the lower levels of nicotine in a single cigarette. Nicotine is the main addictive property of cigarettes, making it extremely difficult for smokers to quit. The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Waterloo, in Canada, and was funded by Health Canada and the Canadian Cancer Society.
The unblinded study involved 72 smokers from ages 18 to 65, who were asked to smoke cigarettes with varying amounts of nicotine for a one month period. They smoked regular cigarettes, with nicotine emission levels of 1.2 milligrams (mg) each for one week to obtain a control data set, then switched to Quest, types of reduced-nicotine cigarettes for the duration of the remaining three weeks. The nicotine content of the cigarettes reduced gradually by week, containing 0.6 mg of nicotine in week two, 0.3 mg in week three and 0.05 mg or less in week four.