Updated Cochrane Review shows electronic cigarettes can help people quit smoking

Updated Cochrane Review shows electronic cigarettes can help people quit smoking, but more evidence is needed on long-term harmsNewly updated Cochrane evidence published today in the Cochrane Library finds that electronic cigarettes containing nicotine could increase the number of people who stop smoking compared to nicotine replacement therapy – such as chewing gum and patches – and compared to no treatment, or electronic cigarettes without nicotine. More information is needed on harms.Smoking is a significant global health problem. Many people who smoke want to quit, but find it difficult to succeed in the long term. One of the most effective and widely used strategies to help people to give up smoking is to combat the cravings associated with nicotine addiction by delivering nicotine through patches and chewing gum.Electronic cigarettes have been around in some form for a number of years, but recently their popularity has increased significantly, and they have begun to look and feel less like conventional cigarettes. Unlike chewing gum and patches, they mimic the experience of cigarette smoking because they are hand-held and generate a smoke-like vapour when used. This helps to recreate sensations similar to smoking without exposing users or other people to the smoke from conventional cigarettes, and can be used to provide people who smoke with nicotine.A team of researchers have updated a Cochrane Review that compares the effects of electronic cigarettes with other wa...
Source: Cochrane News and Events - Category: Information Technology Authors: Source Type: news