A clinical trial in Finland has compared the effectiveness of nicotine-containing e-cigarettes and varenicline tablets for smoking cessation. The study, which included 458 participants, found no difference between the two strategies at six months. However, after one year, only varenicline was found to be clearly more effective than placebo. The results are published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.
E-cigarettes, vapes, pods, mods... The popularity of these devices continues to grow, especially among young people. According to a Spanish survey, more than half of the adolescents aged 14 to 18 have used them at some point. Vaping control varies from country to country: in Spain, vaping products have been regulated since 2017 and the new anti-smoking plan aims to equate their legislation to that of tobacco, while the United States imposes fewer restrictions. In this brief guide, we explain what is known and not known on controversial issues such as the safety of electronic cigarettes, their risks or whether they are useful to quit tobacco.
Teenagers who are frequent users of electronic cigarettes have more uranium and lead in their urine than occasional users, according to a study. Those who use sweet flavored products also have higher uranium levels in their urine than those who use mint flavors. The study, published in the journal Tobacco Control, analyses data from a representative sample of adolescents aged 13 to 17 in the United States, which includes 200 exclusive users of these e-cigarettes.
An international team of researchers has examined the epigenetic effects of tobacco and e-cigarettes over time in more than 3,500 samples. Their results indicate that e-cigarettes can also cause changes associated with an increased risk of cancer even shortly after starting to use them. They publish the study in the journal Cancer Research.
E-cigarettes combined with traditional therapies are more effective for smoking cessation than regular therapies alone, says a study conducted in Switzerland and published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study involved two groups of about 600 participants each. At a 6-month control visit, 59.6% of the members of the e-cigarette group had not smoked tobacco in the previous week, compared to 38.5% in the control group.
In pregnant women, neither regular use of electronic cigarettes nor nicotine replacement therapy is associated with unfavorable effects, according to a trial involving 1,140 pregnant smokers in England and Scotland. The authors analyzed the association between nicotine consumption by the two routes - vaping and nicotine patches - with parameters including infant birth weight, miscarriages, premature births and respiratory symptoms in the mother. The research is published in the scientific journal Addiction.
E-cigarettes and smokeless tobacco are alternatives to traditional tobacco that have grown in popularity in recent years. Proponents claim that they serve to "reduce harm" and help quit smoking, while opponents claim that there is no evidence of benefit and that they can introduce young people, non-smokers and ex-smokers to tobacco.