If you’ve thought about quitting smoking, this new study gives you yet another reason. Cigarettes are even more hazardous than labels would have you believe.
Researchers in Spain looked at ten of their top-selling commercial brands:
Camel, Chesterfield, Ducados, Fortuna, John Player, L&M, Lucky Strike, Marlboro, Nobel, and Winston.1
The team experimented with a total of 200 cigarettes. That’s 20 cigarettes per pack. They observed the similarities and differences between the ten different products.
What they found out is something the tobacco companies may not want you to know…
New studies show tobacco contains highly toxic compounds. But these deadly substances are not regulated by law.
A group of chemical engineers from University of Alicante carried out the investigation.
First, each of the ten packs was machine-smoked. Then, the team analyzed the mainstream smoke. 3 When they did so, they discovered all brands contained cancer-causing compounds.
The law only requires that manufacturers list three substances. Those are the amounts of nicotine, tar, and carbon monoxide. However, cigarettes contain other very harmful substances not regulated by the law. 2
Some brands contained more harmful substances than others. The one with the most harmful compounds produced less tar than the average.
María Isabel Beltrán led the team. She points out that just because a cigarette has more tars doesn’t make it more toxic. 1
“In fact we found some low tar brands have very high levels of toxicity at higher concentrations than other brands,” she says. 2
Nicotine levels also varied. It actually doubled from one brand to another. One brand exceeded the value established by law.
“In fact, although nicotine is responsible for the addiction, it is not the most harmful part of the cigarette,” says Beltrán. “Of the more than 3,000 compounds in tobacco, there are many which are worse.” 1
Tobacco contains nearly 70 chemicals identified as cancer-causing agents. 4 Carcinogens cause cancer.5 Cigarette smoke is also known to suppress immune responses. 6
The ten products used in the study may appear similar. But the highly-toxic and carcinogenic compounds vary considerably from one brand to another, explains Beltrán.
Their findings are published in the latest Food and Chemical Toxicology.
So, if you’ve ever thought about quitting, now may be a good time.
Perhaps there’s even a natural solution that can help.
Some research points to certain foods that can affect the taste of cigarettes. The belief is that if cigarettes taste bad, one is more likely to quit. With that in mind, here’s the top 5:
- Orange Juice
- Celery
- Broccoli
- Milk and other dairy beverages
- Red Wine 7
Those foods contain Vitamin C, D, and antioxidants. All of which are necessary for smokers.
Tobacco use claims the life of one in five America each year. 8 These latest findings give us yet another important reason to kick the habit.
References
1 http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-10/f-sf-tch100112.php
2 http://www.eurekalert.org/multimedia/pub/48249.php?from=222552
3 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22342527
4 http://www.ehow.com/list_6869383_chemicals-smoking-tobacco.html
5 http://www.ehow.com/about_5074832_kind-carcinogens-found-cigarette-smoke.html
6 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18409047
7 http://guide2herbalremedies.com/top-5-foods-quit-smoking/
8 http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fast_facts/
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