Requiring tobacco companies to reduce the nicotine contents in cigarettes could help smokers cut down on cigarette consumption, a new study suggests.

The New York Times reported Nov. 20 that researchers reported that smokers given reduced-nicotine cigarettes for four weeks smoked less when they switched back to regular cigarettes afterwards.

The findings differed from past research showing that smokers didn't cut down after smoking so-called "light" cigarettes. Researchers pointed out that the latest study used cigarettes containing low-nicotine tobacco, whereas commercially available light cigarettes don't use reduced-nicotine tobacco but rather rely on gimmicks that -- in theory at least -- reduce inhalation of tobacco smoke.

The research was reported in the November 2007 issue of the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.