Wednesday, May 21, 2014
E-cigarettes CAN help people kick the habit: Study finds they are 60% more effective than nicotine patches or gum
Electronic cigarettes can help smokers kick the habit boosting quitting rates by 60 per cent compared with nicotine patches, gum or relying on will power alone, new research has found.
The findings, published today, follow a survey of 5,863 smokers in England who attempted to stop smoking without aid of prescription medication or professional support.
Of those using e-cigarettes, a fifth reported having quit 'real' cigarettes at the time the study was carried out.
The research, published in the journal Addiction, suggests that e-cigarettes could play a positive role in reducing smoking rates, say experts.
A survey carried out by a team at the University of London found a fifth reported having 'quit' real cigarettes after using the electronic alternative
Study leader Professor Robert West, from University College London, said: 'E-cigarettes could substantially improve public health because of their widespread appeal and the huge health gains associated with stopping smoking.
'However, we should also recognise that the strongest evidence remains for use of the NHS stop-smoking services.
'These almost triple a smoker’s odds of successfully quitting compared with going it alone or relying on over-the-counter products.'
The same team, chiefly funded by Cancer Research UK, also found that most e-cigarette use involved first-generation ‘cigalike’ products rather than newer devices that use refillable cartridges and a wider choice of nicotine concentrations and flavours.
Co-author Dr Jamie Brown, also from University College London, said: 'We will continue to monitor success rates in people using e-cigarettes to stop smoking to see whether there are improvements as the devices become more advanced.'
Prof West acknowledged that some quitters may want to keep using e-cigarettes indefinitely, and it was not clear whether or not this carried long-term health risks.
But he added: 'From what is known about the contents of the vapour these will be much less than from smoking.
'Some public health experts have expressed concern that widespread use of e-cigarettes could "re-normalise" smoking.
'However, we are tracking this very closely and see no evidence of it.
'Smoking rates in England are declining, quitting rates are increasing and regular e-cigarette use among never smokers is negligible.'
Alison Cox, Cancer Research UK’s head of tobacco policy, said: 'Smoking is the largest preventable cause of cancer and accounts for more than one in four cancer deaths in the UK - so helping smokers to stop is a vital contribution to the health of the UK.
'E-cigarettes may have a role in helping people to quit smoking but while the rapid rise in their popularity suggests a real opportunity, the evidence for their effectiveness is so far limited.
'Cancer Research UK is funding much-needed research into e-cigarette use to help inform policy development and individuals’ choices, and research such as this is helping to paint a clearer picture.'
'E-CIGARETTES ARE A GATEWAY TO NICOTINE ADDICTION IN YOUNGSTERS' SAY SCIENTISTS WHO CLAIM THEY ARE OPENING A NEW TOBACCO MARKET
E-cigarettes are battery-powered devices marketed as a way of helping people quit smoking
Electronic cigarettes are battery-powered devices which simulates smoking.
The design was patented in 1963, and uses a heating element known as an atomiser that vaporises a liquid solution.
Some e-cigarettes contain a mixture of nicotine and flavourings, will others release a flavoured nicotine-free vapour.
They are sold in flavours like chocolate and strawberry that are banned in conventional cigarettes because of their appeal to young people.
The devices are largely designed to look like cigarette and are marketed as a method of helping people quit the habit.
But experts have widely debated the benefits of e-cigarettes.
A recent study by scientists at the University of California's Centre for Tobacco Control Research and Education in San Francisco has shown teenagers who use the battery powered devices are more likely to smoke traditional cigarettes and less likely to quit smoking, the research showed.
As the popularity of e-cigarettes - promoted as a way to help people quit smoking - increases, scientists have found that ‘the wild west marketing of e-cigarettes is not only encouraging youth to smoke them, but also it is promoting regular cigarette smoking among youth’.
'Despite claims that e-cigarettes are helping people quit smoking, we found that e-cigarettes were associated with more, not less, cigarette smoking among adolescents,’ said lead author of the study Lauren Dutra.
She added: ‘E-cigarettes are likely to be gateway devices for nicotine addiction among youth, opening up a whole new market for tobacco.’
A study of nearly 40,000 youngsters in the U.S. found that e-cigarette use among school students doubled between 2011 and 2012, from 3.1 per cent to 6.5 per cent.
Source:Daily Mail
Tags: Health
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