Quitting smoking with e-cigarettes is effective. Twice as effective as using patches alone. That's according to a study from New Zealand involving over a thousand people.
Researchers from New Zealand have investigated the effectiveness of smoking cessation using e-cigarettes. The study was carried out between 2016 and 2018 and was published in the fall in the journal The Lancet. The study is supported by the Universities of Auckland and Canterbury and the National Institute of Health
The study is the first to test the effectiveness of a so-called combined quit-smoking strategy. 1100 smokers were divided into three groups: one group used nicotine patches only, a second group used e-cigarettes with nicotine and nicotine patches, and a third group used nicotine-free e-cigarettes and nicotine patches.
Twice as many non-smokers
The researchers enlisted the help of local vejpshoppes in the selection of suitable e-juices, nicotine levels and vejpdon. At the time of the study, nicotine-containing e-juice was banned from sale in shops. However, participants were allowed access during the ongoing study.
The results after six months were clear: 17% of the total of those who used both patches and e-cigs were smoke-free after six months. In the other two groups, who only used patches as a source of nicotine, the only 10 percent smoke-free after six months.
The side effects, such as dry mouth and cough, were few and transient, the researchers note.
Confirms previous studies
Previously sstudies carried out in the UK shows that e-cigarettes with nicotine double the chance of quitting smoking compared to nicotine patches alone. This is a finding confirmed by the New Zealand study.
Although 17% does not sound like much in this context the researchers conclude that e-cigarettes are a popular way to quit smoking in New Zealand. And the high interest in the products, together with the effect on smoking cessation, could open the door to new opportunities in public health, say the researchers. Today, around half a million adults in New Zealand smoke.
"E-cigarettes are significantly less harmful to health than cigarettes. And if doctors recommended e-cigs in combination with nicotine patches, potentially 50,000 more people could quit smoking. This is compared to recommending nicotine patches alone. At the same time, we could significantly improve the quality of life of many people. Not to mention the families and other loved ones of smokers," says Natalie Walker, professor and doctor at the University of Auckland to Radio New Zealand and Reuters.
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