It’s better to vape to quit smoking than using patches or gums and the science proves it once again.
The prestigious Cochrane Library, that collates fact based evidence on all things health, has been joined by the University of East Anglia in a new review that categorically proves vaping is the most effective way to quit lit tobacco.
And with one of the conclusions being there is NO evidence of ill health from using nicotine in e-cigarettes, you would hope governments around the world would sit up and listen and end the vaping witch hunt.
The scientists have taken evidence from more than 50 studies with more ongoing – and the results of those will be published later this year.
Results from this latest review chimes with what many of us in the industry has known for some time – patches – gums and sprays simply don’t work and both Big Pharma and Big Tobacco has known this since they first arrived on the scene.
I wrote about this in detail in my article last year: Do Nicotine Patches and Gums Work For Quitting Smoking? Not According to Scientists…
In that piece I show how leaked internal documents prove the ‘Big 2’ colluded in a kind of kill and cure scenario. As well as recognizing gums and patches were short term ‘fixes’ that simply didn’t work…yet still promoted them…shocking stuff indeed.
Vape To Quit Smoking – More Long Term Evidence Required?
Despite showing such positive results, the scientists still remain cautious about any long term effects vaping may have on health.
I could point them to the longest study on e-cigarettes and health – over a period of 3.5 years – that shows without doubt there is NO ill effect on the lungs and respiratory system in particular. If anything, vaping improves the damaged lungs of smokers, and never smokers that vaped showed no ill effects whatsoever.
That study was conducted by the excellent Professor Riccardo Polosa, who famously schooled the UK Parliament on burnt toast being more ‘toxic’ than vapour from an e-cigarette!
However, by nature scientists are cautious and always need more evidence, as long time vaping advocate Professor Caitlin Notley – of the UEA – explains:
It is encouraging that we now have more robust clinical trial evidence to draw upon, demonstrating that nicotine containing e-cigarettes can help more people to quit smoking than traditional nicotine replacement therapy.
This might be because e cigarettes mimic the behaviour of smoking as well as providing nicotine to ex-smokers who are dependent on nicotine.
Although we don’t yet have long term evidence on health harms of switching to e-cigarettes, the evidence clearly demonstrates that e-cigarettes are much safer than continuing to smoke tobacco.
Short term harms of e cigarettes, such as a sore throat or feeling nauseous, are of a similar magnitude to the short term side effects of nicotine replacement therapy.
And as Stoptober nears an end, and the complications of the flu season clashing head on with the apparent COVID-19 ‘pandemic’, Professor Notley says it’s crucial smokers looking to quit receive the very best up to date advice. Which in turn means being shown e-cigarettes are the most effective way to quit the killer habit:
Given the raising number of coronavirus infections and the approaching winter flu season, it is more important now than ever that smokers are supported to quit.
E cigarettes might be a good option for people to try if they have tried and failed to quit in the past.
If you or someone you know is desperately looking to quit smoking, we have a wealth of advice, and you can start your quit journey by checking out these guides and articles as a start:
- What Is The Best E Cig Kit? 12 Vape Kits For Beginner Vapers
- 11 Best E-liquid / Vape Juice Brands From The UK & USA 2020
- Blowing Away those Vaping Health Myths
- 7 Vaping Questions – Answered
- 11 Anti Vaping Arguments | How To Win With The Facts
There are of course very many more articles – guides and reviews…go take a look 🙂
Vape Technology Getting Better
Those of us that have been vaping for some time obviously realize that vaping technology is on the whole getting better leading to more people choosing vape to quit smoking than anything else.
And by that I also mean the design and performance of starter kits in particular. As in they are becoming far more effective at delivering more consistent levels of nicotine, and the science proves it.
Jamie Hartmann-Boyce from the Cochrane Tobacco Addiction Group, is the lead author of this latest review and he says:
The randomised evidence on smoking cessation has increased since the last version of the review and there is now evidence that electronic cigarettes with nicotine are likely to increase the chances of quitting successfully compared to nicotine gum or patches.
Electronic cigarettes are an evolving technology. Modern electronic cigarette products have better nicotine delivery than the early devices that were tested in the trials we found, and more studies are needed to confirm whether quit rates are affected by the type of electronic cigarettes being used.
While there is currently no clear evidence of any serious side effects, there is considerable uncertainty about the harms of electronic cigarettes and longer-term data are needed. Scientific consensus holds that electronic cigarettes are considerably less harmful than traditional cigarettes, but not risk-free.
We are encouraged to see that 20 trials are now underway, and we will be looking for newly published evidence every month from December 2020.
It is important that the review continues to provide up-to-date information to people who smoke, healthcare providers and regulators about the potential benefits and harms of electronic cigarettes.
Good to see science finally catching up with what many of us already know, it’s better to vape to quit smoking than anything else.
And a reminder vaping is considerably safer than smoking – and by at least 95%!
Of course, and like anything, nothing is risk free – but this latest scientific review of e-cigarettes as an effective quit smoking tool just adds to the growing mountain of knowledge.
Let’s just hope this and more reviews and studies like attract the attention of many of the governments of the world that are so very ant-vape.
One can hope – but sadly one doubts it…
Read the full Cochcrane Library review: Electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation
