E-cigarette to help quitters

A new study by the University of Auckland has provided the first evidence that nicotine delivered through electronic cigarettes can help reduce one’s desire to smoke, the ‘Tobacco Control’ journal reported.

“The e-cigarettes that we tested appeared to be as effective as a standard nicotine replacement therapy inhalator in reducing the desire to smoke and relieving cigarette withdrawal symptoms.

“Our results indicate that e-cigarettes have potential as a method to help people stop smoking, in the same ways as a nicotine inhalator.

However, our findings should be seen as preliminary and need to be confirmed for this and other e- cigarette brands,” lead researcher Prof Chris Bullen said.
E-cigarettes are electronic nicotine delivery devices that resemble cigarettes but do not use tobacco. They release a small dose of nicotine with each “puff”.

A great relief
“E-cigarettes are popular in the US and Asia where people report buying them to reduce the cost of smoking, cut down on cigarette consumption, use in smokefree places, relieve tobacco withdrawal symptoms, or help quit smoking. But this is the first reputable clinical study to actually examine their effect on smokers,” Prof Bullen said.

The study compared 40 adult smokers who on different days used a Ruyan V8 e-cigarette delivering either nicotine or placebo; a Nicorette nicotine inhalator; or their usual fag.
It was designed primarily to measure the effect of e-cigarette use on the desire to smoke, but also examined the impact on smoking withdrawal symptoms and the acceptability of the device to users.

“We found that the device delivered nicotine to the bloodstream in a similar way as an inhalator, reduced the desire to smoke, and was acceptable to most users.
“Overall the e-cigarette appeared to be as good as the inhalator in terms of reducing the desire to smoke and relieving withdrawal symptoms. E-cigarettes that delivered nicotine also had a stronger effect than those with placebo.

“However further studies are required to examine the potential and safety of longterm e-cigarette use, and a large clinical trial needed to determine their effectiveness in helping people stop smoking,” Prof Bullen said.