The adverse effects of nicotine are known to smokers and non-smokers. Hoping to minimize the harms caused by tobacco smoking, many smokers have now taken to cigarettes with low nicotine content.

However, the preconceived notion that low nicotine content does not cause much harm to smokers has been busted by a recent research by the Penn’s Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Nicotine Addiction (CIRNA), which said that the use of reduced nicotine content (RNC) cigarettes may not be an effective measure.

Low-nicotine cigarette resulted in high puffing intensity

In the study, titled “A Randomized Controlled Trial of Progressively Reduced Nicotine Content Cigarettes on Smoking Behaviors, Biomarkers of Exposure, and Subjective Ratings,” the researchers said that smoking tendencies aggravated when smokers were allowed to puff cigarettes containing percentage of nicotine lower than their own brand. However, these cigarettes resulted in an overall decrease in the percentage of nicotine and exposure to smoke.

For the study published online in the journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention in April 2016, the researchers looked at 158 smokers who did not seek treatment for their addiction habits and had agreed to respond to a study spanning 35 days. The scientists aimed to evaluate the number of puffs, volume of the puffs, duration and inclination of smoking in the participants, along with assessing the smoking behavior of the participants, corresponding to the physical features of the places they belonged to.

Five days after the study, 80 respondents were chosen randomly and asked to puff three levels of cigarettes with decreasing amounts of nicotine for three 10-day periods. Also, 78 control group members were asked to smoke cigarettes depending on their brand preference. The scientists then took their blood samples to identify various biomarkers.

Commenting on the findings, Dr. Andrew A. Strasser, an associate professor of Psychiatry and the director of Penn’s Biobehavioral Smoking Lab in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, said, “Of particular interest is that when smoking the moderate nicotine level cigarettes, participants consumed more cigarettes each day but puffed each less intensely than when smoking their own brand, or compared to the control group. But then daily cigarette consumption decreased and puffing intensity increased for the lowest nicotine cigarette, illustrating the complexities in evaluating cigarette use patterns.”

However, the scientists were perplexed to find that though measures of the smoke exposure were significantly reduced in the participants smoking cigarettes containing the lowest amount of nicotine, as compared with the control group, cigarettes containing intermediate level of nicotine increased certain toxic exposures and decreased other exposures.

Tackling tobacco abuse

Despite the adverse consequences of nicotine addiction, some people still tend to smoke and experience withdrawal symptoms in its absence. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends textual warnings such as “cigarettes cause cancer” or “cigarettes are addictive” on cigarette packages to dissuade people from smoking.

According to the American Heart Association, nearly 23.1 percent of American men and 18.3 percent of American women are smokers. As per a report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 480,000 Americans die each year due to effects of cigarette smoking.

But smokers must realize that it is not impossible to get rid of dependence on any substance. The first step to achieving complete sobriety starts with the basic step of detoxification, which essentially involves flushing out the toxins from the body that had accumulated due to addictive habits. A host of medications, coupled with evidence-based treatment methods, are employed under medical supervision during the detox process.

If you or your loved one is struggling with an addiction, it is time to look for one of the reputed detox centers in Florida according to your needs. The Florida Detox Helpline can help you find one of the best de-addiction centers in Florida. Our experts can help you with the information regarding drug detox in Florida. Chat online or call at our 24/7 helpline number 855-920-9869 for more information.