LIFESTYLE
Study: E-cigarettes good as short-term quitting aid
The study finds that "e-cigarettes have been shown to significantly improve abstinence at 1 month" when compared to placebo electronic smokes.
A new study into how e-cigarettes can help people quit smoking long-term suggests that the biggest effects are felt over the first month.
The paper, presented at the 2015 American Thoracic Society International Conference, finds that "e-cigarettes have been shown to significantly improve abstinence at 1 month" when compared to placebo electronic smokes.
Lead author Riyad al-Lehebi and his University of Toronto colleagues searched two medical databases' worth of previous studies -- 4,569 abstracts identified -- coming back with 297 articles and then whittling them down to 2 randomized trials and 2 uncontrolled before-and-after studies.
Their findings, published under the title "Efficacy and Safety of Electronic Cigarettes for Smoking Cessation: A Systematic Review," showed that e-cigarettes can make a significant difference for those seeking to abstain from traditional forms of smoking, at least over an initial month-long period.
But only one study went on to evaluate continuous abstinence at 6 months, with results from e-cigarettes equal to those obtained by subjects using open-label nicotine patches instead.
"Long-term studies of the efficacy and safety of e-cigarettes are needed to determine their possible role in smoking cessation," recommended the scholars, suggesting that open-label nicotine patches appear to be a better quitting aid for now in terms of other, more serious complications associated with the two methods' use.
The paper, presented at the 2015 American Thoracic Society International Conference, finds that "e-cigarettes have been shown to significantly improve abstinence at 1 month" when compared to placebo electronic smokes.
Lead author Riyad al-Lehebi and his University of Toronto colleagues searched two medical databases' worth of previous studies -- 4,569 abstracts identified -- coming back with 297 articles and then whittling them down to 2 randomized trials and 2 uncontrolled before-and-after studies.
Their findings, published under the title "Efficacy and Safety of Electronic Cigarettes for Smoking Cessation: A Systematic Review," showed that e-cigarettes can make a significant difference for those seeking to abstain from traditional forms of smoking, at least over an initial month-long period.
But only one study went on to evaluate continuous abstinence at 6 months, with results from e-cigarettes equal to those obtained by subjects using open-label nicotine patches instead.
"Long-term studies of the efficacy and safety of e-cigarettes are needed to determine their possible role in smoking cessation," recommended the scholars, suggesting that open-label nicotine patches appear to be a better quitting aid for now in terms of other, more serious complications associated with the two methods' use.