Light or regular cigarettes consumption: effect on endothelial function

Objective: To evaluate whether the effect of chronic or acute cigarette smoking on endothelial function is related to the cigarette content of tar, nicotine or carbon-monoxide (CO) reported on the pack. Methods: Cigarettes were defined as light or regular on the basis of the concomitant presence of tar, nicotine and CO above or below 7, 0.7, 7 mg, respectively. Brachial artery flow mediated dilation (FMD) of 45 consumers of light cigarettes was compared to that of 45 consumers of regular cigarettes, matched for age, gender and pack-years. Forty-five never smokers, matched for age and gender, were included as negative controls. The acute effect of a light or regular cigarette on FMD was assessed in 81 smokers, who were asked to smoke a single light (n=52) or regular (n=29) cigarette. In these subjects, FMD was measured before and 10 minutes after the single cigarette smoking. Results: FMD of light (2.78±3.13%) and regular (4.03±2.93%) cigarettes consumers were lower than in never smokers (6.26%±3.21; both p< 0.002). In contrast, no difference was observed when light and regular cigarettes consumers were compared (p=0.173). A single cigarette smoking caused an FMD reduction of about 39% (p< 0.0001), but also in this case, no difference was detectable comparing light or regular cigarettes (-36.9% vs. -47.0%, respectively; p=0.168). Conclusions: Consumption of light cigarettes is not associated with a lower detrimental effect on endothelial dysfunction. Light cigarettes consumption should not be considered a valid alternative to smoking cessation. Funding: Research was supported in part by Philip Morris USA Inc. and Philip Morris International