Menthol cigarettes linked to 10 million extra smokers, hundreds of thousands of premature deaths

Menthol cigarettes contributed to 378,000 premature deaths in the United States between 1980 to 2018, according to a new University of Michigan study. “Our results indicate that mentholated tobacco products have had a significant impact on public health and could continue to pose a substantial health risk,” — David Mendez, associate professor in the Department of Health Management and Policy at the U-M School of Public Health. “Previous studies have shown that menthol experimentation is positively associated with progression to established smoking. In addition, menthol smokers are less likely to quit smoking than nonmenthol smokers. These observations were incorporated in the model and are the key factors in determining the outcomes of our study,” — Thuy Le, Department of Health Management and Policy at U-M's School of Public Health.