‘Natural’ cigarettes are still toxic, UM study says – Duluth News Tribune

“Natural” cigarettes fail to provide a health advantage for smokers, according to a University of Minnesota study.

The study looked at Natural American Spirit cigarettes, which are marketed as “natural” and “made from organic tobacco,” according to university public relations. Although those phrases make no health claims, studies show that smokers perceive the cigarettes as being less harmful than other brands, the news release explains.

The research, led by Irina Stepanov of the School of Public Health and the Masonic Cancer Center, involved chemical analyses of 13 varieties of Natural American Spirit cigarettes.

The findings:

• Levels of toxic and cancer-causing chemicals in Natural American Spirit cigarettes are generally similar to those in other cigarette brands.

• Tobacco and smoke of Natural American Spirit cigarettes contain higher levels of nicotine than in other brands, “which suggests that may be more addictive.”

The study was recently published in the journal Tobacco Regulatory Science.