Review of 80 studies found vapes outperform patches for quitting smoking — ScienceDaily

Regulated nicotine e-cigarettes may help more people quit tobacco cigarettes than nicotine replacement therapy such as patches and gum. The authors of an updated Cochrane “living” systematic review reached this conclusion, as reported by ScienceDaily.

Data from 80 clinical trials

The current version of the review included 80 randomized controlled trials involving 29,861 people. Nine trials were added during this update. A “living” review means that researchers regularly add new evidence to the analysis.

The authors found high-certainty evidence: for every 100 people, nicotine e-cigarettes resulted in approximately four additional people successfully quitting smoking compared with nicotine replacement therapy. These devices also resulted in approximately two more people per 100 participants successfully quitting smoking than nicotine-free e-cigarettes.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

Risks and limitations

Participants offered e-cigarettes were more likely to stop smoking than people who received no support or behavioural support, including individual counselling or group programmes. At the same time, researchers are less certain about this comparison because of possible systematic biases in the design of some studies.

The authors found no evidence that using e-cigarettes to quit tobacco increases the risk of serious harm, but stressed the need for long-term studies. The findings apply specifically to regulated nicotine devices: unlicensed or unregulated products, as well as devices containing other substances, including THC, may carry different risks.

The researchers stressed that vaping is not risk-free and may not be suitable for everyone. The WHO and other health organisations warn that e-cigarettes expose users to nicotine and other potentially harmful chemicals, and that their use by children and young people may contribute to nicotine dependence.