Research shows that it is harder to give up if cigarettes taste good

When you decide to give up your unpleasant habit, you may feel that you are not just craving nicotine. A study conducted by a team of researchers from Duke University showed that cigarettes can also manipulate the smoker's taste sensors, and thus flavorings can be an additional obstacle for those trying to give up.

Joseph McClernon, PhD, head of research, admitted that the taste of cigarettes and the smell of smoke are a significant part of the addiction and may be a reason why smokers continue to light up.

But these components may just as well be a strong reason for some people to get rid of the habit, according to the researcher.

An ordinary menthol sigaretten can contain different flavors - menthol, vanilla or cocoa. While the taste of the cigarette depends on the tobacco mixture, the additives, including flavorings, can make the taste less harsh and produce a delicate smoke.

One can consider this as an innocent trick to win smokers' loyalty to a particular smoking product; although a large proportion of these additives are not dangerous if ingested in the traditional way, they become harmful when burned.

For example, cocoa is a famous and beloved children's drink when mixed in powder form with milk. At the same time, when cocoa is burned in a tobacco product, it synthesizes bromine gas, a chemical that numbs the lungs, increasing their ability to absorb tobacco smoke.

Still, not all smokers are prone to the delicious charm of cigarette taste. There is a group of people with a special response to taste that researchers call as bitter tasters. These people are less likely to mention taste as the reason for smoking. Moreover, they are not even likely to pick up cigarettes.

Several years ago, the National Institutes of Health conducted a study focusing on the genetic ability to identify bitter tastes, the likelihood of smoking, and the main causes of puffing.

The research concluded that bitter tasters were least likely to be regular smokers. On the other hand, people with less taste sensitivity were most likely to become chain smokers and get hooked on nicotine.

Nevertheless, if the inability to quit smoking is not due to genetic factor, it can be affected by certain foods, which can make tobacco more enticing.

Joseph McClernon explained that there is a particular link between certain foods and tobacco. The researchers concluded that certain foods are able to make smoking more or less comfortable.

Fried meat, junk food, alcohol, coffee and fast food seem to improve the taste of cigarettes, while fruits, juices, vegetables and organic food can impair the taste of tobacco.

This fact may be an explanation for why the majority of smokers admit that they enjoy smoking with a coffee or a beer.

Prof. McClernon said there is a clear combination of chemicals in tobacco and caffeine that make the smoking process while taking a coffee so popular.