People who use e-cigarettes smoke less and are more likely to quit smoking

Smokers who are willing to use e-cigarettes tend to smoke less and have increased quit attempts, a study has found.

“Combustible cigarettes are the most harmful form of nicotine delivery. Alternative delivery of nicotine, through e-cigarettes, could significantly reduce harm and the risks of cancer and other diseases to smokers,” said Matthew Carpenter, from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in the US.

E-cigarettes might give smokers a suitable alternative to combustible cigarettes (Shutterstock)

In the pilot study published, funded by the National Institutes of Health, Carpenter evaluated e-cigarettes in terms of usage, product preference, changes in smoking behaviours and nicotine exposure.

Sixty-eight smokers were evaluated: 46 were randomised to use e-cigarettes however they wished, and 22 were randomised to a control group. Those in the e-cigarette group were given a device with either high or low doses of nicotine. Everyone was followed over a period of four months.

Results showed that when smokers were given e-cigarettes without any accompanying instructions or requirements for use, uptake was strong, and many participants went on to purchase their own e-cigarettes. The findings were published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention.

This suggests that e-cigarettes might give smokers a suitable alternative to combustible cigarettes. Those who used e-cigarettes smoked less and were more likely to quit smoking, as compared to those in the control group.

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