Giving up smoking is notoriously difficult, as nicotine addiction is both physical and psychological. Many people attempting to quit turn first to alternatives before stopping entirely.
Common aids include nicotine patches and chewing gum, but a growing number are opting for e-cigarettes, or vapes, which are available both with and without nicotine. A new study has compared the effectiveness of these methods.
An analysis by the international research network Cochrane shows that using nicotine-containing e-cigarettes gives smokers a higher chance of quitting than traditional nicotine replacement products.
In trials, between eight and ten out of 100 participants who used nicotine vapes managed to stop smoking regular cigarettes for at least six months. By comparision, only six out of 100 succeeded when using patches, gum, pills, or other cessation aids. The same success rate applies to those using e-cigarettes without nicotine, while only five out of 100 managed without any support. However, experts caution that while e-cigarettes are less harmful than smoking, they are not without risk.
The study did not find significant differences in side effects between e-cigarettes and traditional nicotine replacement products. Symptoms such as coughing, dizziness, or heart palpitations occurred at similar rates across groups.
It remains unclear whether e-cigarettes have fewer long-term health risks, as most studies only tracked participants for up to two years. Researchers emphasise that longer-term follow-up is necessary to draw firmer conclusions about safety. However, Dr Jamie Hartmann-Boyce, a senior author at the review, explained that: We have very strong evidence that regulated nicotine e-cigarettes are substantially less harmful than smoking.”
The Cochrane review is based on high-quality studies and compared data from 80 controlled trials, involving a total of 29,861 participants from 13 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia.
The findings confirm that e-cigarettes containing nicotine led to higher quit rates, with success in 8 to 10 percent of cases, compared to 6 percent for other methods. Without any support or behavioural therapy, just 5 percent of smokers managed to quit.
Statistically, smokers who want to quit have the best chance of success if they use nicotine-containing e-cigarettes as a cessation aid.
