E ‑Cigarettes as Harm Reduction for Pregnant Tobacco Smokers

Jeffrey A. SingerLast week U.K. researchers published a study providing more evidence of the harm ‐​reduction potential of nicotine containing e‑cigarettes—this time for pregnant women who smoke tobacco.The randomized controlled trial, begun in 2019, included 1,140 participants from 24 UK hospitals. Pregnant women who smoked were placed on either nicotine patches or refillable nicotine e ‑cigarettes to replace tobacco. The researchers found both replacement methods to have an equal safety profile. However, low birth weight was less frequent among the e‑cigarette arm of the study compared to the nicotine patch arm. At the end of the pregnancy, 10.7 percent of those who vaped rema ined abstinent from tobacco cigarettes, compared to 5.6 percent who used nicotine patches.One of the study ’s authors, Dr. Francesca Pesola, told theGuardian,“Using an e‑cigarette poses no greater risk to the mother or baby than nicotine patches, which are both better options than continuing to smoke throughout pregnancy.”Citing one of the study ’s limitations, the authors state:Study results might also have been affected by an external event that occurred during the trial. In 2019 there was an outbreak of a lung disease in young vapers in the United States. This was termed ‘e‑cigarette or vaping product use‐​associated lung injury’ (EVALI) and although it was eventually traced to the addition of vitamin E acetate to local illicit marijuana products, it w...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs