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. 2019 Mar;5(2):135-142.
doi: 10.18001/TRS.5.2.5.

Response to Reduced Nicotine Content in Vulnerable Populations: Effect of Menthol Status

Danielle R Davis  1 , Mollie E Miller  2 , Joanna M Streck  1 , Cecilia L Bergeria  3 , Stacey C Sigmon, Jennifer W Tidey  2 , Sarah H Heil  1 , Diann E Gaalema  1 , Andrea C Villanti  1 , Maxine L Stitzer  3 , Jeff S Priest  4 , Janice Y Bunn  4 , Joan M Skelly  4 , Valeria Diaz  5 , Christopher A Arger  6 , Stephen T Higgins  7
Affiliations

Response to Reduced Nicotine Content in Vulnerable Populations: Effect of Menthol Status

Danielle R Davis et al. Tob Regul Sci. 2019 Mar.

Abstract

Objectives: In this study, we investigated potential effects of being a menthol smoker on response to reduced nicotine content (RNC) cigarettes in smokers especially vulnerable to smoking.

Method: Participants were 169 smokers (61 menthol and 108 non-menthol smokers) with comorbid mental illness, substance use disorder, or socioeconomic disadvantage. Participants completed a double-blind study assessing addiction potential, withdrawal/craving, and compensatory smoking across 4 research cigarettes varying in nicotine content from very low levels to commercial levels (0.4, 2.4, 5.2, 15.8mg/g of tobacco). Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to examine potential moderating effects of menthol status.

Results: Statistically significant effects of nicotine dose were noted across measures, with higher doses producing greater economic demand and relief from withdrawal/craving. The relationships between nicotine dose and response to RNC cigarettes do not differ by menthol status.

Conclusions: Results of this study suggest menthol does not have a differential impact on response to RNC cigarettes across measures of economic demand, withdrawal/craving, or smoking topography. These results suggest that any potential beneficial effects of RNC cigarettes should extend to menthol smokers including those especially vulnerable to smoking.

Keywords: cigarette; menthol; nicotine reduction; tobacco regulation; vulnerable populations.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest Statement None declared. The content herein is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health or the US Food and Drug Administration.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Total Puff Volume Across Cigarettes for Menthol and Non-menthol Smokers Note. Least square mean (+ SEM) scores for total puff volume (mL) across cigarettes smoked ad lib for the 4 nicotine doses tested across menthol (upper panel) and non-menthol (lower panel) participants. Dose effects were observed (p < .05), but no effects by menthol status were observed.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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