Quitting smoking: the electronic cigarette with nicotine would be very effective

Since its appearance on the market, the electronic cigarette has continued to fuel controversy. Some studies say it increased chronic lung disease and had adverse effects on cardiovascular health, while others recommend it for smokers trying to quit. Today, a new study presented at the annual scientific session of the American College of Cardiology at the same time as the World Congress of Cardiology (ACC.20/WCC) goes in the same direction. According to the researchers, smokers using e-cigarettes containing nicotine to quit smoking are twice as likely to quit smoking as others. However, scientists point out that the effects of e-cigarettes on health remain unknown and that they should therefore not be used for any purpose other than smoking cessation.

The new trial was designed to reflect the real conditions that chronic smokers face when trying to quit. To do this, researchers from McGill University (Montreal, Canada) recruited 376 participants. On average, the latter were 53 years old, had smoked for 35 years and at least 21 cigarettes a day. All wanted to quit, 91% had already tried without succeeding, most often trying medication or behavioral therapy.

During the study, which lasted 12 weeks, the researchers assigned a third of the participants to receive e-cigarettes containing nicotine. A third received nicotine-free cigarettes and a third did not receive an electronic cigarette. Participants equipped with e-cigarettes were allowed to smoke as much as they wanted and all volunteers received around 100 minutes of advice on quitting smoking. Each individual reported on their progress, three times over the phone and twice at the clinic. On site, participants underwent a breath test for carbon monoxide to check whether or not they had smoked. After 12 weeks, those who reported not having smoked a cigarette (even a puff) in the previous week and who passed the breath test were counted as having quit. For those who did not, the researchers looked at whether or not they had reduced the total number of cigarettes smoked daily from the number reported at the start of the study.

“Impressive” results

At the end of the trial, 21.9% of participants who received e-cigarettes containing nicotine had quit smoking compared to 17.3% and 9.1% respectively of those who had received an electronic cigarette without nicotine or advice only. Thus, people using e-cigarettes containing nicotine would be 2.4 times more likely to quit smoking.

What’s more, compared to 21 cigarettes per day, participants who received nicotine e-cigarettes reduced their daily consumption by 13 cigarettes per day, compared to 11 in those who had e-cigarettes without nicotine and seven in the others. .

“These results show that nicotine e-cigarettes are effective in quitting smoking in the short termcomments Mark J. Eisenberg, lead author of the study. Avoidance with advice is more effective than advice alone, although it is not a magic bullet for quitting smokinghe continues. While it’s not about clinical outcomes like death or lung cancer rates, the results are still quite impressive..”

“We need safety data”

In addition, the study revealed few adverse effects. If it took place before there were reports of lung damage linked to the inhalation of vapors, no such problem arose among the participants, assure the researchers who will continue to collect the data for a year. The last follow-up should be completed in September 2020. The follow-up will therefore make it possible to determine whether the effects of electronic cigarettes on smoking cessation persist over time.

“We desperately need information on whether e-cigarettes are effective in quitting smoking, but we also need data on safety”, says Eisenberg, suggesting that access to e-cigarettes should be limited to people who are actively trying to quit smoking. And this under the supervision of a doctor. The electronic cigarette should thus be avoided by young people and non-smokers, he insists.

At the end of January, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a report on electronic cigarettes, assuring that it was definitely dangerous for health. The WHO states that e-cigarettes increase the risk of heart disease and lung disorders. According to his findings, they are even more risky for adolescents because the brain completes its development around the age of 25. Passive vaping would expose those who undergo it to nicotine and other dangerous chemicals. As for its usefulness for quitting smoking, the Organization believes that there is insufficient evidence of the effectiveness of vaping in smoking cessation. Its researchers therefore recommend that smokers turn to substitute products such as patches or gum.