Menthol and nicotine interaction

[aprioristic]

I read somewhere (browsing around whilst on the WTA thread) that sugars are added to cigarette tobacco. Could that contribute to the withdrawal symptoms and the 'missing' element of e liquid?

EXPOSED: Why there IS a "Unique" American Snus Taste

Quoting from an article by Jeffrey Rose, CMH " American "cigarettes themselves are actually between 8% and 18% sugar, so smokers who puff a cigarette frequently during the day are actually giving themselves blood sugar-raising hits throughout the day. All this contributes to smokers experiencing a slight sugar high from increased blood glucose. As a result of this, many smokers also experience a lessening of appetite.

This may explain why people gain weight after stopping smoking. They are trying to maintain their prior elevated glucose level, which was found to be pleasurable. Any craving that a new nonsmoker might experience is most noticeable in the morning and mid-afternoon, when low blood sugar is no longer blocked by smoking."

Thus each cigarette gives the smoker a "sugar high" as well a dose of nicotine, further enhancing the pleasurable effects of cigarettes with sugar as well as nicotine. This, combined with the eventual nicotine addiction, make it so incredibly difficult, if not impossible, for many people to quit nicotine tobacco products.

The science behind this from what I can tell is still a mystery, but maltol and ethyl maltol double the perception of sucrose, though the molecules only halfway bind into sweet receptor. They can't be considered sweeteners, only sugar flavors/taste modifiers, but they are so popular in ecig blends, maybe it is related.

 

[kinabaloo]

Passing by.

The blood sugar high from smoking is laughable! If sugars are added for a reason it will be heat decompoition / combustion products.

The menthol thing still intrigues - it is added to ALL tobacco and the companies fought tooth and nail to retain its use while all other flavoring were banned. So it is not just a flavoring !

 

[aprioristic]

Is menthol really added to all cigs? I guess it falls under natural flavorings, which is listed for Marlboro reds. I don't understand the law behind the flavoring ban because they still have natural & artificial flavorings. What makes a cig "flavored" to regulators?

Yeah, I think you are right about sugar being decomposed. I just remembered reading that about how American companies felt the need to reformulate a 200 year old recipe with more sugar. OK, the burning sugar turns into formaldehyde. I can't view this journal but there is probably a bunch about this and menthol in the tobacco docs.

Menthol is strong stuff. I added a single drop of dilute menthol to a 6ml test batch yesterday, thinking it wouldn't be that noticeable and it turned the blend into tasting pretty minty like a Marb Smooth. I'm guessing I will have to dilute some menthol to like 25-50% for that drop to not be a noticeable component, so I kind of have to question how much of a factor menthol is in non-menthol cigs.

 

[mydnight]

What makes a cig "flavored" to regulators?

"Flavored to regulators" means a flavor not produced by Phillip Morris, essentially, as they were the "industry consultants" used to draft the law. It was billed as a way to make smoking less attractive to minors, but in reality it was just a gov't sanctioned market-share grab.

 

[aprioristic]

That doesn't make any sense to me. I had found info on this after posting:

Will FDA provide a comprehensive list of products that are illegal?

No. All products that meet the description in section 907(a)(1)(A) of the FDCA below are banned. Section 907(a)(1)(A) states:

“…a cigarette or any of its component parts (including the tobacco, filter, or paper) shall not contain, as a constituent (including a smoke constituent) or additive, an artificial or natural flavor (other than tobacco or menthol) or an herb or spice, including strawberry, grape, orange, clove, cinnamon, pineapple, vanilla, coconut, licorice, cocoa, chocolate, cherry, or coffee, that is a characterizing flavor of the tobacco product or tobacco smoke.”

The agency plans to make available Warning Letters it has issued and information about enforcement actions it has taken to notify the public about violative products.

Maybe I am missing something but I don't see how PM is exempt. Anyhow, ecigs don't seem to meet the definition of a cigarette, whether or not they end up being classified as a tobacco product. I of course understand the nature of gov't and how they will just do whatever they want though.

 

[mydnight]

I'm sorry, it was my fault for being confusing.

Phillip Morris helped to draft the bill as "industry experts", which is likely why menthol is not considered a flavored tobacco as it's the only "flavor" that Phillip Morris makes. Basically, they saw a chance to jump on their competitors (flavored tobacco makes kids smoke!!!) and jumped on it. It's related more to business than health and safety.

It's also worth noting that the law ONLY applies to tobacco cigarettes -- mini cigars and "cigarillos" are still perfectly legal (even the ones that look like cigarettes, right up to having a filter, and are only distinguished from cigarettes by being wrapped in a tobacco leaf instead of paper).

 

[aprioristic]

That's okay, I see what you are saying now. About a month before coming to ecigs I read about how the Obama tobacco bill pushed flavored cigs like Djarum into small cigars for tax reasons or something. I think all they had to do was increase length by a millimeter to save 50% on taxes or something ridiculous. I was also enjoying ~$25 cartons in one of those roll your own "pipe-tobacco" into cigarette filter things for a brief time.

 

[HRFANATICS]

Is there another reason menthol might enhance the effects of nicotine? Would taking menthol lozenges or similar possibly add whatever that effect is back into the equation? I know there are a lot of eliquids with menthol, but I'm looking to understand if there actually is an interaction in there beyond the numbness it provides while smoking, or if it's all in my head.

One study I have read, stated that menthol cigarette smokers take in more nicotine and carbon monoxide per cigarette. The study showed that menthol smokers also find it harder to quit, despite smoking fewer cigarettes per day. Those study results were built on growing evidence suggesting that menthol is not a neutral flavoring in cigarettes. It masks the harshness of the nicotine and toxins, affects the way the cigarette is smoked and makes it more deadly and addictive. Those researchers believe the cooling effect of the menthol makes it easier to inhale more nicotine from each cigarette and, therefore, to obtain a stronger and more addictive nicotine dose.

However this is science after all, so nothing is ever as simple or straightforward as it seems. A recent article in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute threw a big bucket of cold water on the accumulated menthol findings. A study of 440 lung cancer patients and more than 2,000 matched patients without lung cancer showed no correlation at all between menthol and cancer. In fact, the researchers were surprised to discover that menthol smokers appear to have a lower risk of lung cancer than other smokers. Asked whether menthol cigarettes are more toxic than non-menthol cigarettes, the study's author William Blot of Vanderbilt University definitively responded.. “The answer is, no, they are not.”

With that said, whatever it is you are experiencing may just be the way you react or respond to something. That doesn't necessarily mean there is a distinct correlation for it, only that it is how your body responds. Clearly different results can be obtained by different people. As a menthol smoker, I never smoked more or faster than any of my smoking buddies who smoked non-menthol. There may be nothing more to the way the menthol makes you feel then; it is what it is.

I was a Kool menthol smoker for over 30 years, so I am well aware of the allure of menthol. For me it was simply the fresh cool taste as opposed to plain tobacco; which I was repulsed by. I wish I had the exact answer to what you are looking for, but after years of reading research studies regarding menthol, even the "experts" don't always agree..