Reference: Hajek, P., Phillips-Waller, A., Przulj, D., Pesola, F., Smith, K. M., Bisal, N., … McRobbie, H. J. (2019). A randomized trial of e-cigarettes versus nicotine-replacement therapy. The New England Journal of Medicine, 38(7), 629-637. Cigarette smoking harms nearly every organ of the body, causes many diseases, yet quitting lowers these risks and can add years to your life. However, smoking is such a difficult habit to quit. People try many different ways to quit smoking, including E-Cigarettes. But how effective are they? Psychology and medical researchers in the UK compared the effectiveness of E-Cigarettes to Nicotine-Replacement Therapy for those attempting to quit smoking. They defined effectiveness as abstinence from smoking after one year They randomly assigned over 850 individuals attending Stop Smoking Services to either a nicotine-replacement product of their choice or an e-cigarette group. Clinicians provided each participant behavioral support for 4 weeks. During trial visits, they assessed participants for smoking status, expired carbon monoxide, use of trial products, withdrawal symptoms, and adverse reactions. Results? Only 10% in the nicotine-replacement group and 18% of the e-cigarette group abstained from smoking, Though the e-cigarette group reported a decline in the coughing compared to the nicotine-replacement group, they reported more frequent throat and mouth irritation. The nicotine-replacement group reported more nausea. Find a way to quit smoking—at any age quitting aids your health. E-cigarettes have a higher success rate than nicotine-replacement.

Written by Shannon Cantalupo