While the overall rate of cigarette smoking has decreased in the United States, the use of menthol cigarettes has risen among young adult smokers. A University of Oklahoma researcher published a study today showing that the addition of menthol flavoring to cigarettes makes them more appealing than non-menthol cigarettes, particularly among racial and ethnic minorities and the LGBTQ population, who have high rates of menthol cigarette use. The findings point to the heightened addiction risk of smoking menthol cigarettes and the role of flavorings in enhancing the appeal of cigarettes.
Amy Cohn, Ph.D., a professor of pediatrics at the OU College of Medicine and a member of the TSET Health Promotion Research Center on the OU Health Sciences campus, is the lead author of the study, published in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research .
"Our purpose for conducting the study is to provide empirical evidence to the Food and Drug Administration, which has proposed banning menthol in cigarettes," Cohn said. "The study proved our hypothesis to be true—that menthol cigarettes are more appealing than non-menthol cigarettes for young people who smoke. That's not good news because menthol is associated with greater nicotine dependence and more difficulty quitting as compared with non-menthol cigarette smoking.
" Much of Cohn's research career has focused on the risks and appeal of cigarettes containing menthol, the flavor additive with a minty taste and smell. The FDA previously cited her.