People who smoke the so-called light cigarettes in the belief it cuts their risk of smoking-related diseases like cancer are in fact at equal risk, says a new study.

The only way to reduce smoking-related health risks is to quit smoking altogether because all cigarettes are deadly, says the study.

Hilary Tindle and other researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine studied more than 12,000 smokers, mostly women, and found that people who smoke light cigarettes reduce their chances of quitting significantly, reported science portal EurekAlert.

They were about 50 percent less likely to quit than other cigarette smokers, the study said.

Some people prefer light cigarettes because of the low-tar and low-nicotine content, which they mistakenly believe is safer. People who smoke light cigarettes are likely to inhale the same amount of hazardous chemicals because they inhale deeper to get enough smoke for the satisfactory nicotine "hit", the National Cancer Institute says.

Therefore, they remain at high risk for developing smoking-related cancers and other diseases.

"It’s not surprising that even though logically people know that all smoking is harmful, the power of marketing is such that many people would be conned into thinking the so-called lower tar or light brands are less dangerous," the researchers said.

(Online News, 02/07/2010)