Menthol cigarette smokers had a higher risk of dying from any health cause, including heart disease, compared to former non-menthol cigarette smokers, according to what researchers say is the largest and most comprehensive study of its kind.
Among former smokers, those who smoked menthol cigarettes showed:
- 12% higher risk of death from all causes
- 16% higher risk from cardiovascular diseases
- 13% higher risk from coronary artery disease
- 43% higher risk from other heart diseases
Mortality risks were shown to be especially high for individuals who quit smoking or smoked 40 or more menthol cigarettes per day. In addition, Black Americans who currently smoke menthol cigarettes face an 88% elevated risk of mortality from some heart diseases compared to those smoking non-menthol cigarettes, shows the study, which was published in the journal Tobacco Control [February 2025].
Anyone able to suss out if this is due to correlation and/or causation?
I thought this was known for a long time? Someone close to me used to smoke these some 20 years ago and even back then I had heard about them being more dangerous.
