Smoking “Lite” Cigarettes Still Harmful for the Heart

A new study reported by the journal Heart has revealed that smokers of “lite” (low-tar and low-nicotine) cigarettes run the same risk of damaging their cardiovascular system as smokers of regular, full-strength tobacco products. The study found that the blood flow of light cigarette smokers can be impaired to the same degree than that of regular cigarette smokers. Chronic nicotine-induced disruptions of the blood flow to the heart can set the stage for the development of coronary artery disease.

The study examined a group of 62 healthy volunteers in their mid-20s. The group included roughly the same number of “lite” cigarette smokers, regular cigarette smokers, and non-smokers. By the time of the study, smoking subjects had been consuming tobacco products for a period of at least three years. All volunteers, both men and women, were free from heart or vascular disease and had adequate levels of cardiovascular fitness. The participants were comparably similar in their lifestyle habits, diets, and indications of general health. Both light and regular smokers consumed approximately the same amount of cigarettes per day.

The light cigarette group (20 people) smoked cigarettes that contained reduced amounts of nicotine (0.6 mg), tar (8mg) and carbon monoxide (9 mg). The regular cigarette group (20 subjects) smoked full-strength cigarettes containing 0.9 mg of nicotine, 12 mg of tar and 12 mg of carbon monoxide. The control group of non-smokers included 22 volunteers who had never smoked in their life.

All participants were asked to undergo medically-controlled cardiovascular fitness tests that were carried out for two days. The researchers measured the parameters of CFVR, or coronary flow velocity reserve, which indicates the rate of dilation of coronary (near-heart) arteries after the blood flow to the heart has been increased by a physical exercise. The smokers’ CFVR was measured before and after they had puffed two of their usual type of cigarettes within a time interval of 15 minutes.

The results of the tests showed that, regardless of the cigarette type, both heart rate and blood pressure of the smokers went up after smoking. The CFVR readings in smokers, even before they smoked, were also lower than those of non-smokers, which indicates that the smokers’ arteries have a slower response to an increased blood flow. Both light and regular smokers showed reduced levels of cardiovascular fitness in comparison with those of the non-smokers. In addition, the CFVR parameters in the groups of light and regular smokers dropped even further after they had smoked their usual types of cigarettes: in low-nicotine smokers, it plummeted to 2.05, while in regular-nicotine smokers, it dropped to 2.18. In comparison, non-smokers showed the average of 3.11 in their CFVR test.

The scientists concluded that, no matter what type of cigarettes, “lite” or regular, smokers puff, the level of damage they bring upon their cardiovascular health is approximately the same. Both groups of smokers demonstrated impaired blood flow in response to their smoking habits. Therefore, switching to smoking low-nicotine brands of cigarettes does not reduce the risks of heart disease in smokers.

Tobacco consumption triples the incidence of heart failure and is accountable for at least fifth of total deaths from heart disease.

Darlene Marlow