Lower Tar and Nicotine Cigarettes
Key points
- Filtered cigarettes with lower machine-measured yields of tar and nicotine have been recommended as offering lower disease risks.
- However, these cigarettes commonly use ventilation holes in the filters and other engineering designs to artificially lower the machine measurements.
- Smokers, however, can compensate and preserve their intake of nicotine (and tar) by changing the manner in which they puff on the cigarette or the number of cigarettes smoked per day.
- There is no meaningful disease-reduction benefit for smokers who switch to lower-yield cigarettes, and smokers should be discouraged from thinking of low-yield cigarettes as an alternative to cessation.
Filtered cigarettes with lower machine-measured yields of tar and nicotine have been recommended as offering lower disease risks. However, these cigarettes commonly use ventilation holes in the filters and other engineering designs to artificially lower the machine measurements. Smokers, however, can compensate and preserve their intake of nicotine (and tar) by changing the manner in which they puff on the cigarette or the number of cigarettes smoked per day. There is no meaningful disease-reduction benefit for smokers who switch to lower-yield cigarettes, and smokers should be discouraged from thinking of low-yield cigarettes as an alternative to cessation.
Written and revised by
David Cohen, M.D.
Our doctors write and review articles for accuracy and keep them up to date.
health.am provides general information, not medical advice. Always consult a qualified health professional about your own health.
Explore health topics
More in this topic
Mental Health →
NewsNicotine and Cocaine Leave Similar Mark on Brain After First Contact
The effects of nicotine upon brain regions involved in addiction mirror those of cocaine, according to new neuroscience research. A single 15-minute exposure to nicotine caused a long-term increase in the excitability…
5 May 2011
NewsStudy suggests lower risk of coronary heart disease from alcohol, even with hazardous drinking
The analysis assesses the 12-month prevalence of coronary heart disease (CHD) in individuals according to their category of alcohol use. The 2001 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions study…
28 April 2011
NewsEarly Warnings Lowered Use of Antipsychotic Medications for Dementia
As loved ones with dementia disappear into symptoms of aggression, agitation or delusions, families are left with few good medical solutions. A new generation of antipsychotic medications gained popularly in the 1990s…
