Smokers who switch to menthol or mint flavoured vapes quit cigarettes for longer than those who use tobacco flavour, a new study has found.
The study, published in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research, set out to understand the role of vape flavours in helping adults who smoke either menthol or non-menthol cigarettes to quit.
It discovered that adults who smoke non-menthol cigarettes and switched to menthol or mint flavoured vapes quit for longer periods than those who chose tobacco flavour.
The researchers from the Yale School of Medicine in the U.S. said: “Menthol/mint e-cigarettes are more often preferred by adults who smoke menthol cigarettes, yet preferring menthol/mint e-cigarettes was associated with longer abstinence durations for those who smoke non-menthol (vs. menthol) cigarettes.”
How vape flavours influence quit attempts
The study followed 857 smokers who used vapes to help them quit. It looked at the link between their preferred cigarette type (menthol or non-menthol) and preferred vape flavour (menthol/mint or tobacco) on the duration of their quit attempt.
It said: “This study provides new information about the types of e-cigarette flavours used and preferred by adults who smoke menthol vs. non-menthol cigarettes when using e-cigarettes to try to quit.
“The association of e-cigarette flavours and abstinence duration varies by cigarette type. While menthol/mint e-cigarette flavours are preferred by adults who smoke menthol cigarettes, menthol/mint e-cigarettes are associated with longer quitting success for those who smoke non-menthol (vs. menthol) cigarettes.”
The study concluded that its findings could help to inform tobacco policy in helping to cut smoking rates.
“More research is needed to understand the impact of e-cigarette flavour by cigarette type,” it said. “These results may help inform tobacco policy and efforts to maximise reductions in cigarette use.”
Menthol vapes approved in U.S last year
Menthol-flavoured vapes were approved by the Food And Drug Administration (FDA) in the U.S. for the first time in June 2024.
The move supported the vaping industry’s assertion that vapes can drastically reduce the harms of smoking, which kills eight million people a year – including 480,000 in the U.S.
To legally market a new tobacco product in the U.S., a company must receive a written marketing order from the FDA.
The approval included two disposable vapes and two pre-filled vape pods manufactured by NJOY, a subsidiary of tobacco giant Altria Group, which makes Marlboro and some menthol-flavoured cigarettes.
Flavour restrictions lead to more smoking
The latest research comes after a study last month found that banning vape flavours in some U.S states had led to less young adults vaping but MORE smoking.
The study, published in the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA), analysed data from almost 400,000 Americans aged 18 to 29 years. It found that state restrictions on the sale of flavoured vapes are associated with a 3.6 per cent decrease in vaping – but a 2.2 per cent increase in far more harmful smoking.
It also found the pattern was different in the state of Maryland, where only non-menthol flavours in disposable and cartridge products (which are rarely refillable) are banned. There, the rise in smoking rates was not as significant as other states with restrictions.
