Vaping is more effective than nicotine gums or patches

In France, the e-cigarette is yet to be considered a legitimate nicotine substitute (even if progress is being made). Those in Great Britain see the e-cigarette a bit differently: according to a new study, vaping is the most effective method to quit smoking cigarettes.

A January 30 article published in the New England Journal of Medicine details the new findings. During one year, more than 120 English smokers were followed while participating in a weaning program organized by the National Health Service and London’s Institute of Cancer Research.

One group used nicotine gums and patches, and the other group stuck to vaping. For Dunja Przulj, the program director, the nicotine in e-cigarettes is preferable for helping people quit smoking. Vaping also offers a better chance to quit smoking over the long term.

E-cigarettes are twice as effective as other nicotine substitutes

After one year, the results between the two groups were compared. Out of the 44 people who used gums and patches, 10% no longer smoked after one year. For the group that used e-cigarettes (79 people), the number rose to 18%, a significant difference in the opinion of those running the study.

At the same time, 80% of those in the vaping group were still using their e-cigarette at the end of the study, compared to only 9% in the first group. According to Dunja Przulj, this is not a problem, because the British health authorities have recognized the electronic cigarette as 95% less harmful than traditional cigarettes.

The authors of the study hae concluded that doctors should encourage smokers to try out vaping as an effective weaning method. E-cigarettes are especially useful if smokers have not had success with gums or patches; indeed, the electronic cigarette has “far more benefits than detriments” when it comes to helping smokers quit tobacco.