Australian Study: Vaping Three Times More Effective Than Traditional Therapies for Quitting Smoking, Long-Term Health Risks Unclear

Key Points:

·A study in Australia has found that the success rate of quitting smoking using e-cigarettes is three times higher than traditional nicotine replacement therapy.

·The study involved over 1000 smokers, with 28% of the e-cigarette group remaining smoke-free after six months, compared to less than 10% in the traditional therapy group. 

·The study emphasizes the short-term effectiveness of e-cigarettes, but further research is needed to understand their long-term health impacts.

【2Firsts News Flash】According to a report by UPI on July 14th, a new Australian study suggests that e-cigarettes may be more effective in helping people quit smoking compared to traditional nicotine replacement therapy.

Researchers reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine that individuals using flavored e-cigarette devices containing nicotine had a three times higher smoking cessation rate within six months compared to those using nicotine gum or lozenges.

“Nicotine vapor products are more effective in smoking cessation compared to nicotine replacement therapy.”

The research team led by Associate Professor Ryan Courtney of the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at the University of New South Wales in Australia wrote.

In order to conduct this study, researchers recruited over 1000 Australians receiving government assistance and randomly assigned them to either the e-cigarette group or the nicotine replacement group. All participants were interested in trying to quit smoking.

The e-cigarette group received an eight-week supply of tobacco, mint, or fruit flavored e-liquid, while the nicotine replacement group opted for an eight-week supply of gum or lozenges.

Researchers stated that all participants also received automated text messages for five weeks, which provided them with behavioral support for their smoking cessation attempts.

A study found that after six months, over 28% of individuals in the e-cigarette group remained smoke-free, while slightly less than 10% of individuals in the nicotine gum or lozenge group remained smoke-free.

“In the current trial, it was found that for disadvantaged populations, flavored nicotine vaping products combined with minimal text-based support were more effective than nicotine replacement therapy gum or lozenges.”

Researchers have reached a conclusion.

However, researchers point out that further research is needed to ensure that people can maintain a smoke-free status in the long term when using e-cigarette devices.

Researchers added that it is still not clear whether people are simply replacing one health risk with another.

“Despite current evidence suggesting that switching completely from smoking cigarettes to e-cigarettes can reduce health risks, the long-term health effects of e-cigarettes are largely unknown, and there is data indicating that e-cigarettes may impact cardiovascular health.”

The researchers wrote.