Experts Affirm that Traditional Cigarettes are Primary Cause of Increased Mortality Rates, while Smoke-free Products Are Considered Less Harmful

David Khayat: We must Adopt Innovations, Alternative Tobacco Products, and a ‘Harm Reduction’ Strategy to Achieve Positive Results

The causes of death have changed worldwide. Previously, infectious diseases and accidents were the leading causes. However, with advancements in healthcare, the greatest threat now lies in chronic non-communicable diseases.

In a noteworthy experiment, Russia is embarking on a national project to increase the average lifespan to 78 years by 2030. This is being achieved by tackling non-communicable diseases and unhealthy habits. Starting next year, 2025, the Russian government plans to launch this project under the title ‘Long and Active Life’, as announced by President Vladimir Putin in his annual address to the Federal Assembly last February.

The target life expectancy is about 5 years higher than the current life expectancy (about 73.41 years), which requires a new, more flexible approach to the prevention of chronic non-communicable diseases, which are now the leading cause of death and disability among Russian citizens.

Alexander Rozanov, Director of the Association of Medical Experts for Risk Modification, says: ‘According to the World Health Organization, 41 million people die annually from chronic non-communicable diseases, which accounts for 74% of total global deaths

Rozanov further explained that the majority of deaths resulting from chronic non-communicable diseases can be attributed to four main groups: cardiovascular diseases, causing 17.9 million deaths annually, followed by cancers, resulting in 9.3 million deaths. Chronic respiratory diseases (4.1 million) and diabetes (2 million, including diabetes-related kidney diseases) come in third and fourth place, respectively.

Additionally, according to experts from McKinsey & Company, the global gross domestic product loses approximately 15% annually due solely to diseases and

premature deaths of the world’s population. This is several times higher than the potential losses to the global economy from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Numerous Russian studies have revealed that an unhealthy lifestyle is the primary cause of chronic non-communicable diseases. According to Calico Life Sciences, a biotechnology company that analyzed the genealogies of over 400 million people, it has been shown that genes determine only about 7% of life expectancy.

Tobacco smoking is considered the most aggressive risk factor for the development of non-communicable diseases. It is particularly associated with up to 15 types of cancer, and approximately 36% of deaths among men diagnosed with cancer are linked to this harmful habit. Russia is also one of the top 5 countries in the world with the highest smoking rates among its citizens.

Ruvin Zimlikman, Director of the Brunner Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases, states: ‘According to the international INTERHEART study, over 90% of heart attacks are linked to behavioral risk factors such as smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and excessive salt intake.

Therefore, one of the most important preventive measures that the Russian government intends to develop as part of its specialized national project is the identification of key risk factors, in addition to reminding the population of the basic principles of a healthy lifestyle. These include not smoking, not consuming alcohol, engaging in physical activity, maintaining a balanced and varied diet, getting enough sleep, and monitoring key blood indicators such as glucose, fats, and blood pressure.

The Russian government is focusing on supplementing existing specialized clinical principles with sections related to risk factor modification, including sections on nicotine addiction treatment. This approach aims to control risk factors in a way that benefits all parties: the state, the business sector, medical professionals, and most importantly, the citizens themselves.

Oncologist David Khayat affirms that until recently, 80% of doctors worldwide believed that nicotine causes cancer, which is completely incorrect. Nicotine may lead to addiction, but it does not cause cancer. The real culprit behind cancer caused by smoking is the toxic substances produced by the combustion of tobacco, which are released in large quantities when a cigarette is burned.

Dr. Khayat continues by stating that ‘smoke-free products’ containing nicotine represent a less harmful alternative to traditional cigarettes for individuals who are not ready to quit smoking entirely.

If the risk from a traditional cigarette is 1, the risk from an e-cigarette is 0.02,” he continued. “In products that contain smokeless nicotine — like e-cigarettes and heated tobacco systems — there is no burning of tobacco, and this is nicotine in its almost pure form.

Khayat explained that relying on alternative products is called a “harm reduction strategy,” which involves reducing the impact of a certain risk on human life and health as much as possible, especially in some matters that cannot be eliminated in the near future. In recent years, this strategy has been actively tested and applied in different countries.

For example, in the UK, experts from the Royal College of Physicians published a report entitled “E-cigarettes and their harm reduction: a look at the evidence.” The report concludes that e-cigarettes remain an important tool for reducing the harm of tobacco use, but it is important to reduce their attractiveness and accessibility.

The FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products also released reports on reduced-risk tobacco products in April. The report’s main conclusion was that no tobacco product is completely safe. But combustion-based tobacco products are the most harmful type of tobacco product. Alternative tobacco products that do not produce smoke are considered less harmful than traditional cigarettes.

David Khayat stressed that the future is not in banning products, but in embracing innovations and the concept of harm reduction, noting that people who suffer the consequences of their habits may not be willing or able to change them. That is why it is so important to increase reliance on the concept of harm reduction in the prevention of non-communicable diseases and flexible measures. Smoke-free tobacco products are one of the best tools that can be used to help these people quit smoking cigarettes.