Experts Still Disagree Over the Value of Vaping
E-cigarettes are a powerful smoking cessation tool, a new study shows. But not all experts want to embrace vaping.
Smoking is the most preventable cause of death, causing nearly 6 million deaths worldwide every year. At current rates, this figure is projected to reach more than 8 million by 2030.
Now, new research suggests that puffing e-cigarettes may be more effective in helping smokers quit than other existing nicotine replacement methods, like nasal sprays, patches, lozenges, and gum.
But some health practitioners remain wary of embracing e-cigarettes due to concern over the rise of vaping among teenagers — especially in the United States. Is there a trade-off between making e-cigarettes available as a cessation tool and the risk of getting nonsmokers hooked on nicotine?
A new study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that vaping was nearly twice as effective in getting people off smoking than other traditional methods. The study examined 886 smokers who attended smoking cessation services in the United Kingdom, roughly half of whom were put on e-cigarettes, while the other half were assigned other nicotine replacement therapies. Both groups were also given counseling concurrently. After one year…
