Study: E-cigarettes are more effective at helping smokers quit than patches and gums

A new study finds that e-cigarettes help more smokers quit than other nicotine replacement treatments, including lozenges and patches.

The study, published Wednesday by the New England Journal of Medicine, is the first randomized trial to test how effective e-cigarettes are compared to nicotine replacement products, the trial's leader, psychologist Peter Hajek, told The Washington Post. About 900 smokers participated in the study, and also received behavioral support. The researchers found that after a year, 18 percent of e-cigarette users were smoke-free, while only 9.9 percent of those in the nicotine replacement group could say the same.

E-cigarettes do not contain tobacco, and are instead filled with a liquid that typically has nicotine in it. Hajek said doctors haven't been willing to suggest to patients that they try e-cigarettes to stop smoking because there wasn't any clinical trial data, but "this is now likely to change." Before you run out and buy an e-cigarette, the New England Journal of Medicine also published two editorials warning people to stay far away. In one, researchers from Boston University said e-cigarettes should only be used as a last resort, after other smoking cessation treatments that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration don't work; this is due to the e-cigarette flavorings that can damage lungs. The other editorial states that the FDA needs to ban all flavored e-cigarettes, blaming these products for an uptick in teenagers vaping.

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