Study: Nicotine Vapes May Be More Effective Than Other Smoking Cessation Aids

Nicotine-containing electronic cigarettes may help people quit smoking and, according to a new review, may be more effective than other forms of nicotine replacement therapy, such as patches or chewing gum.

A Cochrane review analyzed 80 studies involving a total of 29,861 adult smokers. The studies compared nicotine e-cigarettes with other approaches used to help people stop smoking.

“There is strong evidence that nicotine e-cigarettes increase smoking cessation rates at six months and beyond compared with nicotine replacement therapy,” said Jamie Hartmann-Boyce, the review’s senior author from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, during a press briefing on the findings. She added that nicotine vapes increase the likelihood of quitting by about 60%.

“Our confidence in this evidence is high, so we do not expect future research to substantially change these conclusions,” she added, according to Euronews.

The review found that more people who used e-cigarettes were able to quit smoking and remain smoke-free for at least six months than those who used nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), including patches, gum, and sprays.

“In our sample, we would expect about six out of 100 people to quit with nicotine replacement therapy. If they were offered nicotine e-cigarettes, that number could increase to around 10 out of 100,” Hartmann-Boyce said.

NRT products help smokers by providing nicotine as a substitute and reducing withdrawal symptoms. However, even with this support, the proportion of people who successfully quit smoking long term remains relatively low.

The review also found that smokers may be more likely to quit using nicotine e-cigarettes than nicotine-free alternatives or behavioral support alone.

Despite evidence that nicotine e-cigarettes may be a useful option for smokers who want to quit, the researchers emphasized that not all vaping products are the same.

“The harms we hear about so often are, in the vast majority of cases, associated with unregulated vaping devices containing components known to be dangerous to human health. They may contain psychoactive substances in addition to nicotine, such as THC, the main psychoactive compound in cannabis,” Hartmann-Boyce said.

She noted that the devices included in the review were used in controlled clinical trials and were regulated products when sold on the market. As a result, they may differ from vaping products people encounter in everyday life.

The researchers also warned that more evidence is needed to assess the effects of newer types of vaping devices.

Tobacco dependence is driven not only by nicotine but also by broader social and behavioral factors, the researchers noted.

Quitting tobacco provides substantial health benefits. However, although most smokers want to quit, many struggle to achieve long-term success.

Nearly half of smokers who attempt to quit without any support fail to remain abstinent for even a week, while fewer than 5% remain smoke-free one year after quitting.

Given these challenges, the researchers say alternative smoking cessation approaches warrant further investigation.

“There is interest in developing smoking cessation aids that not only help alleviate the unpleasant effects of nicotine withdrawal but also provide an effective substitute for the behaviors, rituals, and sensations associated with smoking, without exposing users to the health risks associated with inhaling tobacco smoke,” the researchers wrote.

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