This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Citing articles on ISI (12)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Topic Collections  • Tobacco  • Alert me on articles by topic  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study

Mark J. Pletcher, MD, MPH; Benjamin J. Hulley; Thomas Houston, MD; Catarina I. Kiefe, MD, PhD; Neal Benowitz, MD; Stephen Sidney, MD, MPH

Arch Intern Med. 2006;166:1915-1922.

Background  African American smokers are more likely to experience tobacco-related morbidity and mortality than European American smokers, and higher rates of menthol cigarette smoking may contribute to these disparities.

Methods  We prospectively measured cumulative exposure to menthol and nonmenthol cigarettes and smoking cessation behavior (1985-2000), coronary calcification (2000), and 10-year change in pulmonary function (1985-1995) in African American and European American smokers recruited in 1985 for the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study.

Results  We identified 1535 smokers in 1985 (972 menthol and 563 nonmenthol); 89% of African Americans preferred menthol vs 29% of European Americans (P<.001). After adjustment for ethnicity, demographics, and social factors, we found nonsignificant trends in menthol smokers toward lower cessation (odds ratio [OR], 0.71; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.49-1.02; P = .06) and recent quit attempt (OR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.56-1.06; P = .11) rates and a significant increase in the risk of relapse (OR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.17-3.05; P = .009). Per pack-year of exposure, however, we found no differences from menthol in tobacco-related coronary calcification (adjusted OR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.01-1.60 for menthol cigarettes and 1.33; 95% CI, 1.06-1.68 for nonmenthol cigarettes per 10–pack-year increase; P = .75 for comparison) or 10-year pulmonary function decline (adjusted excess decline in forced expiratory volume in 1 second, 84 mL; 95% CI, 32-137 for menthol cigarettes and 80 mL; 95% CI, 30-129 for nonmenthol cigarettes, per 10–pack-year increase; P = .88 for comparison).

Conclusion  Menthol and nonmenthol cigarettes seem to be equally harmful per cigarette smoked in terms of atherosclerosis and pulmonary function decline, but menthol cigarettes may be harder to quit smoking.

Author Affiliations: Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Dr Pletcher), Medicine (Drs Pletcher and Benowitz), and Psychiatry (Dr Benowitz), University of California, San Francisco; University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine (Mr Hulley); Division of Preventive Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham (Drs Houston and Kiefe); Deep South Center on Effectiveness, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Birmingham (Dr Kiefe); Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Medical Service, San Francisco General Hospital Medical Center (Dr Benowitz); and Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente, Oakland, Calif (Dr Sidney).

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati     What's this?

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Smokers of Menthol and Nonmenthol Cigarettes Exhibit Similar Levels of Biomarkers of Smoke Exposure
Heck
Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev. 2009;18:622-629.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Effects of Menthol on Tobacco Smoke Exposure, Nicotine Dependence, and NNAL Glucuronidation
Muscat et al.
Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev. 2009;18:35-41.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Tobacco Industry Control of Menthol in Cigarettes and Targeting of Adolescents and Young Adults
Kreslake et al.
Am. J. Public Health 2008;98:1685-1692.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Racial/Ethnic Disparities in the Use of Nicotine Replacement Therapy and Quit Ratios in Lifetime Smokers Ages 25 to 44 Years
Fu et al.
Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev. 2008;17:1640-1647.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT