Endothelial dysfunction and type of cigarette smoked: the impact of 'light' versus regular cigarette smoking

Acute cigarette smoking leads to temporary endothelial dysfunction, which is an early event in atherogenesis. Sufficient data concerning the effect of cigarettes with low tar and nicotine yield are lacking. Seventeen healthy individuals (nine women, eight men, aged 27.8 +/- 3.6 years) were subjected to evaluation of endothelial function by means of endothelium-dependent, flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) of the brachial artery, before, immediately after and 30, 60 and 90 min after smoking a regular cigarette (nicotine 0.9 mg, tar 12 mg) or the corresponding 'light' cigarette (nicotine 0.6 mg, tar 8 mg). The following day, measurements were repeated after smoking the opposite kind of cigarette. Baseline FMD was 6.1 +/- 1.6% and 7.2 +/- 2.0% in the light and regular cigarette groups, respectively (p = NS). The overall effect of the regular cigarette over time on FMD compared with the light cigarette was significantly different (F = 3.039, p = 0.023). FMD was significantly depressed after smoking both types (light: F = 8.192, p < 0.001; regular: F = 16.698, p < 0.001). Immediately after smoking, FMD declined in both groups (light: 3.0 +/- 2.4% and regular: 1.6 +/- 3.2%, p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively), and it remained significantly depressed in the regular cigarette group at 30 min (0.75 +/- 1.5%, p < 0.001) and 60 min (3.5 +/- 3.1%, p = 0.024), while in the light cigarette group FMD differences were abolished at 30, 60 and 90 min after smoking. In conclusion, acute smoking of both regular and light cigarettes leads to temporary vasomotor dysfunction; its duration is shorter after smoking a 'light' cigarette.