Aug 22, 2014 12:18 PM EDT By J Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

Cigarettes with low levels of nicotine could reduce addiction, according to a recent study.

Researchers from the University of Waterloo found that smokers consume the same amount of cigarettes regardless of nicotine levels. This means addiction to cigarettes can be reduced without increasing exposure to toxic chemicals.

Researchers said their findings may ease concerns that smokers would increase their consumption of cigarettes or puff harder if governments reduced nicotine levels to negligible amounts.  

 "One of the primary barriers to reducing nicotine levels is the belief that individuals who continue to smoke will smoke more cigarettes in an effort to extract the same nicotine levels, thereby exposing themselves to greater amounts of toxic chemicals. Our findings suggest this is not the case," David Hammond, lead author of the study, said in a statement. "The smokers were unable or unwilling to compensate when there was markedly less nicotine in the cigarette and when the experience of smoking is far less rewarding."

For the study, researchers monitored the smoking behaviors of 72 adults as they switched to three types of cigarettes with markedly reduced nicotine levels.

Unlike when smokers switch between conventional cigarette brands -- all of which have very similar levels of nicotine content -- the study found no change in participants' puffing behavior, number of cigarettes consumed or levels of toxic chemicals in their systems.

The cigarettes used in the study -- Quest 1, Quest 2 and Quest 3 -- had a nicotine content of 8.9, 8.4 and 0.6 mg, respectively, as opposed to an average of 12 mg in a regular cigarette.

"There is ample evidence from inside and outside the tobacco industry that major reductions in the nicotine content of cigarettes would result in a less-addictive product," Hammond said. "Overall, the impact of a less-addictive cigarette on reducing smoking uptake and cancer prevention is potentially massive." 

The findings were recently published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology.

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