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Penn State researchers analysed data from nearly 2000 adult smokers who took part in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The participants provided blood samples and information about their smoking behaviour.
The investigators found that about 32% of the participants smoked their first cigarette of the day within five minutes of waking. Among the others, 31% smoked within 6 to 30 minutes, 18% smoked within 31 to 60 minutes, and 19% smoked more than an hour after waking.
People who had a cigarette immediately after waking had higher levels of NNAL
- a byproduct of a tobacco-specific cancer-causing substance called NNK - in
their blood than those who smoked a half hour or more after waking, regardless
of how many cigarettes they smoked in a day, the study authors reported.
Inhalation 'deeper and more thorough'
The research team also found that NNAL levels in the participants' blood was also associated with factors such as their age, their gender, the age they started smoking, and whether or not another smoker lived in their home.
"Most importantly, we found that NNAL level was highest among people who smoked the soonest upon waking, regardless of the frequency of smoking and other factors that predict NNAL concentrations," study co-author Steven Branstetter, an assistant professor of bio-behaviour health, said in a Penn State news release.
"We believe these people who smoke sooner after waking inhale more deeply and more thoroughly, which could explain the higher levels of NNAL in their blood, as well as their higher risk of developing oral or lung cancer," he added.
"As a result, time to first cigarette might be an important factor in the identification of high-risk smokers and in the development of interventions targeted toward early morning smokers."
More information
The US National Cancer Institute has more about the harms of smoking.
(Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved.)
