'Light' Cigarettes Don't Help Smokers

Smoking low-tar and low-nicotine — or "light" — cigarettes may actually make it harder for smokers to kick the habit.

A new study shows that people who smoke light cigarettes are more than 50 percent less likely to quit smoking than those who smoke regular cigarettes.

"Even though smokers may hope to reduce their health risks by smoking lights, the results suggest they are doing just the opposite because they are significantly reducing their chances of quitting. Moreover, as they get older their chances of quitting become more and more diminished," says researcher Hilary D. Tindle, M.D., MPH, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, in a news release. Tindle conducted the research while at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.

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