Are light cigarettes safer than regular cigarettes?

There is no such thing as a safe cigarette. You might think that cigarettes called low-tar, mild, light, or ultra-light are less harmful to your health than regular or full-flavor cigarettes. Smoke from light cigarettes may feel smoother and lighter on the throat and chest, but they are not healthier than regular cigarettes. The truth is that light cigarettes do not reduce the health risks of smoking. Also, switching to light or ultra-light cigarettes does not help smokers quit.

The only proven way to reduce the risk of diseases caused by smoking is to quit smoking completely. Quitting at any age reduces the risk of lung cancer, heart attack, stroke, and chronic lung disease.

More information is in the NCI fact sheet The Truth About "Light" Cigarettes: Questions and Answers. You can get a copy by calling the NCI's Cancer Information Service at 800-4-CANCER. You can also view and print it from the web.

For one-on-one help with quitting, call the NCI's Smoking Quitline toll-free at 877-448-7848.

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