Less Smoke, Same Choke

Heavy smokers who reduce the number of cigarettes they smoke per day may not be reducing their risk of exposure to the toxins in cigarette smoke, according to a Dec 11, 2006, news release from the American Association for Cancer Research. These smokers may actually increase their exposure per cigarette as a result of "compensatory smoking" (ie, taking more frequent puffs or deeper and longer inhalations to maintain a specific level of nicotine in the body).

Researchers studied 64 heavy smokers (ie, people who smoked an average of 26 cigarettes per day) and 62 light smokers (ie, people who smoked an average of 5.6 cigarettes per day). The heavy smokers reduced their cigarette smoking by at least 40% to five cigarettes per day within six months of enrolling in the study. Despite their success in reducing the number of cigarettes smoked per day, the heavy smokers' levels of exposure to a common cancer-causing agent was more than twice that of light smokers, a finding the researchers believe to be a result of compensatory smoking. A greater reduction in number of cigarettes smoked correlated with an increase in compensatory smoking. The researchers reiterate that heavy smokers fare better health-wise by quitting because even a low rate of smoking is associated with a higher cancer risk compared to quitting or being a nonsmoker.

AORN Journal