Elsevier

Drug and Alcohol Dependence

Volume 168, 1 November 2016, Pages 176-180
Drug and Alcohol Dependence

Short communication
Effects of sweet flavorings and nicotine on the appeal and sensory properties of e-cigarettes among young adult vapers: Application of a novel methodology

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2016.09.014Get rights and content

Highlights

  • Sweet flavorings in e-cigarettes enhanced user perceptions of product appeal.

  • Nicotine in e-cigarettes increased throat hit but did not affect product appeal.

  • Provides initial validation of a novel methodology for evaluating e-cigarettes.

Abstract

Introduction

Product characteristics that impact e-cigarette appeal by altering the sensory experience of vaping need to be identified to formulate evidence-based regulatory policies. While products that contain sweet flavorings and produce a “throat hit” (i.e., desirable airway irritation putatively caused by nicotine) are anecdotally cited as desirable reasons for vaping among young adults, experimental evidence of their impact on user appeal is lacking. This experiment applied a novel laboratory protocol to assess whether: (1) sweet flavorings and nicotine affect e-cigarette appeal; (2) sweet flavorings increase perceived sweetness; (3) nicotine increases throat hit; and (4) perceived sweetness and throat hit are associated with appeal.

Methods

Young adult vapers (N = 20; age 19–34) self-administered 20 standardized doses of aerosolized e-cigarette solutions varied according to a 3 flavor (sweet [e.g., cotton candy] vs. non-sweet [e.g., tobacco-flavored] vs. flavorless) × 2 nicotine (6 mg/mL nicotine vs. 0 mg/mL [placebo]) double-blind, cross-over design. Participants rated appeal (liking, willingness to use again and perceived monetary value), perceived sweetness and throat hit strength after each administration.

Results

Sweet-flavored (vs. non-sweet and flavorless) solutions produced greater appeal and perceived sweetness ratings. Nicotine produced greater throat hit ratings than placebo, but did not significantly increase appeal nor interact with flavor effects on appeal. Controlling for flavor and nicotine, perceived sweetness was positively associated with appeal ratings; throat hit was not positively associated with appeal.

Conclusions

Further identification of compounds in e-cigarette solutions that enhance sensory perceptions of sweetness, appeal, and utilization of e-cigarettes are warranted to inform evidence-based regulatory policies.

Introduction

E-cigarette use (vaping) is highly popular among young adult smokers and non-smokers (McMillen et al., 2015). While evidence about the possible harms and benefits of e-cigarettes continues to mount, there are little empirical data regarding popular e-cigarette product features that enhance the appeal of vaping, particularly flavorings and other product characteristics that alter vaping’s sensory effects (Miech et al., 2016). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has requested research on product characteristics that impact e-cigarette appeal in order to formulate evidence-based regulatory policies (Backinger et al., 2016). Data assessing the role of flavorings and nicotine in e-cigarette appeal amongst young vapers could inform regulatory policies that affect the persistence of vaping in this population.

The combustible cigarette literature demonstrates that the direct psychoactive effects of nicotine on the central nervous system account for only part of the reinforcing value of smoking (Rose, 2006). Pleasurable sensations associated with the tobacco self-administration procedure (e.g., taste, smells, airway stimulation) play an important role in smoking reinforcement (Przulj et al., 2012). Thus, e-cigarette product features that alter the sensory experience of vaping could impact user appeal.

Anecdotal reports indicate that sensory perceptions of sweetness and nicotine-induced sensations of “throat hit,” a reportedly desirable organoleptic sensation presumed to result from the stimulation of nicotinic cholinergic receptors lining the oropharynx and lungs, are important reasons for vaping (Pokhrel et al., 2015). The presence of flavorings and nicotine in e-cigarette solutions could impact appeal via their sensory-altering effects. Apart from the sensory experience of vaping, numerous exogenous factors (e.g., marketing strategies, cultural trends, pre-existing expectations about product effects, and social influences) could also influence the perceived appeal of certain e-cigarette products (Chu et al., 2015, Vasiljevic et al., 2016). Human laboratory paradigms provide a platform for testing the effects of specific product characteristics on e-cigarette appeal under double-blind conditions capable of controlling for such exogenous factors (Henningfield et al., 2011).

In this laboratory experiment involving young adult vapers, we applied and integrated methods from consumer product testing and drug abuse liability evaluation to assess: (1) the effects of sweet flavorings and nicotine on e-cigarette product appeal; (2) whether sweet flavorings increase perceived sweetness; (3) whether nicotine increases throat hit; and (4) the extent to which perceived sweetness and throat hit are associated with product appeal. A secondary aim of the study was to evaluate the utility of a novel paradigm for rapidly screening the effects of specific e-cigarette product characteristics on user appeal and sensory effects.

Section snippets

Participants

Vapers (N = 20; 19–34 years old) were recruited via online advertisements. Eligibility criteria were: 1) e-cigarette use ≥1 day/week for ≥1 month; 2) smoking ≤15 conventional cigarettes/day; 3) no use of smoking cessation medication; and 4) not pregnant or breastfeeding. All participants provided written informed consent for this IRB-approved protocol.

Design and procedure

Following eligibility confirmation, participants attended a 2-h laboratory session. The test procedure involved self-administration of 20 different

Preliminary analyses

Participants (N = 20; 55% male; age M ± SD = 26.3 ± 4.6 years-old; 45% White, 35% African American, 20% Other race/ethnicity) reported, on average, low to medium e-cigarette dependence on the PSECD (M = 8.4[95% CI: 6.4–10.4]) and vaping for 3 years (SD = 1.5). Past-30 day smokers in the sample (N = 16; 80%) reported, on average, medium levels of cigarette dependence on the FTCD (M = 6.3[95% CI: 5.8–6.8]). In response to the question, “What flavor do you typically vape?,” 11 participants reported regularly using

Discussion

This double-blind experiment held exogenous determinants of appeal constant, allowing participants’ to base their subjective judgments of appeal primarily on sensory experience. Under such conditions, e-cigarette solutions producing greater perceptions of sweetness increased the subjective appeal of vaping in the overall sample. Supplemental analyses provided suggestive evidence of the appealing properties of sweet flavorings amongst vapers who did not typically use sweet flavors. An

Conflict of interest

None.

Funding

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health [P50 DA036106-02S1].

Contributors

All authors contributed to the manuscript and have approved the final article.

Dr. Leventhal, Dr. Kirkpatrick and Mr. Goldenson conceptualized and designed the study, drafted the initial manuscript, and approved the final manuscript as submitted.

Dr. Samet, Dr. Pentz, Dr. Pang, Dr. Barrington-Trimis and Ms. McBeth reviewed the manuscript, and approved the final manuscript as submitted.

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