What is the difference between the tobacco inside of cigars/cigarillos and cigarettes? Why do they cause cancers at different frequencies?
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The tobacco is different. Cigarettes use tobacco that is forced to ferment quickly with chemicals, whereas premium cigars use tobacco that ferments just with the passage of time. A cigarette is full of additives and chemicals, whereas a premium cigar is literally just tobacco, and maybe a little fruit pectin to hold things together.
However, tobacco is a carcinogen whether it’s in a cigarette or a cigar. I think the major difference in terms of cancer rates is simply usage and exposure. Cigarette smokers generally smoke a cigarette multiple times a day to satisfy a craving. Premium cigar smokers generally smoke less frequently, as a cigar is meant to be something you enjoy and relax with. Some people do smoke multiple cigars a day, but from my anecdotal experience of hearing cigar smokers talk, I think it’s more common for people to smoke a few cigars a week – or less. For example, I enjoy a cigar once a week when the weather is pleasant, and when it’s not (winter) I have none.
Like any carcinogen, risk of cancer increases in proportion to use. Someone who eats bacon every day is more likely to develop cancer than someone who eats bacon twice a month, for example.
Finally, one major difference is that cigarettes are inhaled and cigars are not. So while cigar smoke exposes the mouth to carcinogenic smoke, cigarettes expose the mouth, throat, and lungs. And while I don’t know the science behind it, I would guess and assume that inhaling cigarettes probably also means more/more frequent introduction of nicotine, etc. into the bloodstream, which I would assume is why cigarette smokers are at such increased risk of heart attack and stroke. (Again, I don’t know that, I’m guessing.)
TL;DR I think it’s the usage of the products that affects the cancer rates rather than the tobacco itself
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