Why can't scientists agree on e-cigarettes?

As a Cochrane review of e-cigarettes is published, its author asks why vaping devices have divided the academic communityEarlier this year, Michael Gove claimedBritain ’s had enough of experts. Now I don ’t agree with Gove on much, but when it comes to e-cigarettes, he may have a point. We’re bombarded with stories about these products, but most just add to the confusion, withperceptions of vaping risks rising year on year. Just recently the Sun informed us that experts are saying“e-cigs are just as bad for your heart as smoking fags”, but read a couple lines down and you ’ll find other experts reasserting the claim thate-cigarettes are 95% safer than tobacco. So which is it? Why can ’t the scientists agree? And will they ever?Cochrane is a global non-profit group that reviews all the evidence on healthcare interventions and summarises the findings so people making important decisions – you, your doctor, the people who write medical guidelines – can use unbiased information to make difficult choices without having to first read every study out there. This week, the latestCochrane review of e-cigarettes was published. I ’m its lead author. While our conclusions are limited because there aren’t many high quality studies available yet, overall the evidence suggests that (1) e-cigarettes with nicotine can help people quit smoking, (2) they don’t seem to have any serious side effects in the short- to mid- term (u p to 2 years), and (3) in some cases, switch...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Science Smoking E-cigarettes Society Health Source Type: news