A study challenges the conventional wisdom that vaping and smoking cigarettes simultaneously could facilitate complete smoking cessation.
- A new study reveals that people combining electronic cigarettes and traditional tobacco (“dual users”) are less likely to wean themselves off nicotine than exclusive smokers or vapers.
- After 24 months, only 13% of dual users quit nicotine, compared to 26% of vapers. Worse, 58% of dual users return to exclusive smoking.
- Although electronic cigarettes are seen as a less harmful alternative, “much is still unknown about its long-term effects on health.” The WHO calls for caution, pending more in-depth studies.
Can we really stop smoking by combining electronic cigarettes and traditional tobacco? A new study, published in the journal ERJ Open Researchraises doubts about the effectiveness of this “double consumption” for smoking cessation. Contrary to the popular belief that vaping and smoking simultaneously might make it easier to quit completely, the data paints a much less encouraging picture.
58% of dual users return to exclusive smoking
“Widely marketed as healthier alternatives to traditional smoking, e-cigarettes have gained popularity among people trying to quit smoking”observe the researchers. But dual use seems “counterproductive”.
Indeed, people who practice dual consumption are less likely to give up nicotine than vapers or exclusive smokers. After four to eight months, only 3% of dual users manage to free themselves from any nicotine product, compared to 8% of exclusive vapers and 6% of smokers. These figures increase slightly after 16 to 24 months, reaching 13% for dual users, but remain lower than the 26% of exclusive vapers and 17% of smokers who succeed over the same period.
Even more worrying, most dual users revert to exclusively smoking traditional cigarettes. “After 16 to 24 months, 58% of dual users returned to exclusive smoking”notes the study. All of this data calls into question the perceived effectiveness of e-cigarettes when used alongside tobacco.
Be careful with the promises of electronic cigarettes
The electronic cigarette, free of tobacco and substances such as tar and carbon monoxide, is a priori less harmful. The fact remains that“much is still unknown about the long-term health effects of vaping”according to scientists. Additionally, preliminary studies show that vaping can lead to nicotine addiction, limiting the chances of complete cessation.
Despite the commercial growth of e-cigarettes over the last ten years, organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and associations therefore remain cautious, refusing to affirm that vaping is less risky than cigarettes, in the name of the precautionary principle and while awaiting consensus studies.
