Self-titration by cigarette smokers

Abstract

An 11-week crossover study was carried out in which 12 subjects smoked high-nicotine (1·84 mg standard yield) and low-nicotine (0·6 mg) cigarettes after an initial period of smoking their usual brands with a medium-nicotine yield (mean 1·4 mg). Plasma and urine nicotine concentrations, carboxyhaemoglobin (COHb) concentration, puffing behaviour, 24-hour cigarette consumption, and butt nicotine content were measured. The changes in plasma nicotine and blood COHb concentrations showed that the smokers compensated for about two-thirds of the difference in standard yields when switched to either high- or low-nicotine cigarettes. Thus, compared with the medium-nicotine brand, the intake of nicotine and carbon monoxide was only about 10% higher when subjects smoked the high-nicotine cigarettes, which had a standard yield 30–40% higher than the medium brands; and only about 15% lower when they smoked the low-nicotine cigarettes, which had a standard yield about 50% lower than the medium brands. Butt nicotine content and urine nicotine concentrations followed a similar pattern. Changes in puffing behaviour and in 24-hour cigarette consumption were only slight. The results show clear evidence of both upward and downward self-titration of nicotine and carbon monoxide (and tar) intakes when smokers change to cigarettes with standard yields that differ over the range studied. © 1979, British Medical Journal Publishing Group. All rights reserved.