beta-carotene and Tobacco-Use-Disorder

Because US smoking rates have not declined during the past decade, there is a renewed need to identify factors associated with smoking cessation. Using a nested case-control design, we explored the association between ability to sustain cessation over an extended period and demographic, smoking, medical, and behavioral variables.. We selected a sample of 1379 sustained quitters (abstinent from smoking for at least 40 months) and 1388 relapsers (abstinent for more than 8 months before relapse) from participants in the Alpha-Tocopherol Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study, a nutritional intervention study involving Finnish men aged 50 to 69 years at baseline. Contingency table and multiple regression analyses were used to evaluate potential differences between the 2 groups on baseline variables.. Compared with sustained quitters, relapsers were more likely to report symptoms of emotional distress and higher levels of nicotine dependence, to drink more alcohol, and to report more medical conditions.. Factors associated with both tobacco use and comorbid conditions impact an individual's ability to maintain long-term smoking cessation. Understanding the underlying mechanisms of action and potential common pathways among these factors may help to improve smoking cessation therapies.

Topics: Aged; alpha-Tocopherol; Attitude to Health; beta Carotene; Case-Control Studies; Finland; Health Behavior; Health Status; Humans; Lung Neoplasms; Male; Middle Aged; Prospective Studies; Recurrence; Risk Factors; Risk-Taking; Smoking; Smoking Cessation; Smoking Prevention; Stress, Psychological; Time Factors; Tobacco Use Disorder

Levels of plasma vitamin C and E (P-VC, P-VE), beta-carotene (P-beta-Car), lipoperoxides (P-LPO), and activity of erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (E-SOD) were measured in 871 healthy smokers and 348 healthy non-smokers to study the relationship between cigarette smoking and antioxidant vitamins and oxygen free radicals. Results showed that levels of P-VC, P-VE, P-beta-Car and E-SOD reduced significantly, and level of P-LPO increased significantly in smokers, as compared with those in non-smokers. Levels of P-VC, P-VE, P-beta-Car and E-SOD reduced and level of P-LPO increased in 65 male smokers at the same age, with the increase of duration of smoking and quantity of cigarettes smoked, showing a linear correlationship. It suggested that there existed serious imbalance between oxidation and antioxidation in the bodies of smokers, and oxygen free radical reaction and reaction of lipoperoxidation obviously intensified.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Ascorbic Acid; beta Carotene; Female; Humans; Lipid Peroxides; Male; Middle Aged; Smoking; Superoxide Dismutase; Tobacco Use Disorder; Vitamin E