E-cigarettes could help some smokers quit

Conclusion This comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis has found some evidence that e-cigarettes with nicotine may help people to stop smoking, or at least reduce the amount they are smoking by over half. That said, no matter how rigorously they are carried out, systematic reviews and meta-analyses can only be as good as the size and quality of evidence that go into them. In this case, the evidence was slim.  The improvements were only apparent when the results of both RCTs were pooled together. There was no statistically significant result in either study on their own, despite having 657 and 300 participants respectively. This was mostly due to the low number of people who were able to stop smoking for at least six months in each study. The researchers themselves are quick to point out that their confidence in the results is low because of this and the fact that they were only able to identify two relevant RCTs. (Cochrane researchers have a reputation for erring on the side of caution; their unofficial motto is “more research is needed on the topic”.) The other types of studies identified did not directly compare e-cigarettes with another smoking cessation aid or no intervention, so they could not be included in the pooled meta-analysis. Though the results show only a small benefit, it should be noted that in the first trial only a third of the participants accessed telephone support during their attempt to quit smoking, and increased support may have impr...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Medical practice Cancer Source Type: news