Smokers of menthol cigarettes crave cigarettes more frequently, find it more difficult to quit smoking, and are more likely to become addicted. The traditional explanation for the effect of menthol is that it masks the harsh taste of tobacco and thus entices people to smoke more.
But Nadine Kabbani from George Mason University reviews recent scientific findings and proposes an novel explanation: menthol may directly promote nicotine craving because it binds to a particular type of nicotinic receptor within nerve cells, the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, and impairs its response to nicotine.
Furthermore, in the longer term, menthol seems to promote the expression of other nicotinic receptor genes in regions of the brain that process pleasure, reward, and addiction. Kabbani concludes that it is time to re-examine rules and regulations on menthol cigarettes.