Study Finds E Cigs are 60 Percent More Effective than Nicotine Patches or Gum at Kicking the Habit

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the use of electronic cigarettes recently. As a product it has had its fair share of bad press however, not all is negative as a recent survey suggests that e-cigs are 60% more effective than nicotine patches or gum at helping smokers to kick the habit.

In total 5,863 smokers in England took part and attempted to give up smoking without any additional aid from medical prescriptions or professional support all they had was an electronic cigarette device.

Leading the research was Professor Robert West from the University College London and he found that out of all the participants one fifth of them stated that when the study had concluded they had quit smoking traditional “real” cigarettes.

In the battle to stop smoking, save the NHS millions of pounds and change public health attitudes well-known charity Cancer Research are funding much needed research into the usage of electronic cigarettes.

Alison Cox, Cancer Research UK’s head of tobacco policy said “E cigarettes may have a role in helping people to quit smoking but while the rapid rise in their popularity suggests a real opportunity, the evidence for their effectiveness is so far limited”.

One of the largest causes of cancer is because of smoking and it can be prevented. It accounts for one in four deaths and so if e-cigarettes could be a suitable aid to help people to quit then they cannot be eradicated as an option.

Concerns have been raised into whether the use of electronic cigarette devices could normalise smoking but Prof West said this is a factor which is being tracked and there is no evidence currently to support this concern.

When smokers quit traditional smoking with the aid of an e-cigarette many are choosing to carry on using their e-cig and at present there is no research into the long term health risks which this could pose.

Whilst the NHS Stop Smoking services still remain the most effective way to give up smoking the successfulness of e-cigarettes as an aid to quit smoking cannot go unnoticed. Additional research is needed into electronic cigarettes as they could prove to be a missing piece in the battle against smoking.