Ever since they exploded onto the market, debates have raged about whether e-cigarettes are a healthy alternative to cigarettes, or just the latest example of a substance that will soon be seen as a public ill. One major reason that people have claimed e-cigarettes can be used for good is to help people transition off of smoking cigarettes, which are considerably more dangerous. On the other hand, some people have questioned whether e-cigarettes are going to increase the likelihood that teenagers and children start smoking. However, one new study has given us some information can help us move the debate forward.
Results of study
Researchers at the Georgetown University Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center have recently conducted a study that has been far more in-depth than previous studies that were conducted on e-cigarettes. What they have found is that continued use of e-cigarettes has increased the chances that a smoker will successfully quit smoking. Specifically, the study has shown that 20 days or more of use of e-cigarettes was strongly associated with the likelihood that a smoker attempted to quit smoking, and that they would go more than 3 months without smoking a cigarette.
These findings, which were published in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research, are in conjunction with another study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) that showed similar results on smokers who used e-cigarettes over a five year period.
More research is needed
This isn’t necessarily to say that e-cigarettes have definitely been redeemed of any other negative effects. The debate is certainly going to continue between whether or not e-cigarettes are dangerous for society or not. It does, though, definitely lend credence to the idea that e-cigarettes can be an effective tool for people to stop smoking cigarettes. However, it is important to note that there are previous studies that have yielded less evidence for the idea that e-cigarettes can be used as a tool to stop smoking. Regardless, any tool that can possibly help people rid tobacco addiction from their lives and reach true recovery should be looked into more.