Study: E-Cigarettes Beat Patches and Gum for Quitting Smoking

Are nicotine vapes the best quit-smoking tool available or a harmful habit swap not worth celebrating?

Published AUG 26

Study: E-Cigarettes Beat Patches and Gum for Quitting Smoking

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Above: Actress Anna Mouglalis smoking an e-cigarette after the AMFIS conference in Chateauneuf-sur-Isere, France, Aug. 22. Image credit: Nicolas Guyonnet/Hans Lucas/AFP/Getty Images

The Spin

Narrative A

Nicotine vapes are the most effective quit-smoking tool available, and the Cochrane review of 80 randomized controlled trials covering nearly 30,000 participants makes that clear. For every 100 people trying to quit, vaping produces about four more successful quitters than patches or gum. Quitting is hard, and many people try repeatedly before succeeding, so having a proven leading option can help encourage smokers to keep trying.

Vaping360

Narrative B

Swapping cigarettes for vapes isn't much of a health win. E-cigarette aerosols contain cancer-causing chemicals, nicotine addiction remains just as fierce and youth exposure is a real crisis. Research also links vaping in children to breathing problems, poor sleep and mental health issues, and young vapers are more likely to start smoking cigarettes. Trading one harmful habit for another slightly less harmful one is a pretty low bar to celebrate.

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