Health experts have opined that using electronic cigarettes is healthier than smoking tobacco by far. This is the conclusion arrived at after the first long-term study of smokers who had quit tobacco in favor of e-cigarettes. The new findings are conclusive enough to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of switching over to electronic cigarettes or nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) by smokers.
The Study
A group consisting of 181 individuals was studied by scientists in this exercise funded by the Cancer Research UK. The members included both smokers and former smokers who had used electronic cigarettes or other NRT products like nasal sprays and patches for a minimum of six months. Another group had members who continued their use of electronic cigarettes and NRT products.
The Findings
Users of e-cigarettes were found to have 97% less level of NNAL, a toxic chemical substance that has a strong linkage with lung cancer. However, there was close to no difference in individuals who were smoking both cigarettes containing tobacco and e-cigarettes. This clearly established that unless you make a clean break with real cigarettes, you will retain a significant amount of toxins in your body. According to University College London’s Dr. Lion Shahab who was the lead author of the report, the use of e-cigarettes and NRT is proved to be far safer than tobacco smoking and the long-term use of e-cigarettes presents a very low risk of toxicity.
The report goes on to say that the new evidence suggests that earlier doubts about the safety of electronic cigarettes may have been misplaced. The fact that an electronic cigarette may actually help people quit smoking is substantiated by the data that the nicotine amount delivered by e liquid UK is not too less from that by normal real cigarettes, and hence smokers are able to manage their nicotine cravings.
Managing Addiction
The research also served to establish that the presence of volatile organic compounds, that include substances that are highly carcinogenic was far less in the saliva and urine samples of e-cigarette smokers. Alison Cox, Cancer Research UK director was emphatic in her observation that the study established the safety of e-cigarettes in comparison to conventional ones and that suggests that there would be minimal long-term effects of using electronic cigarettes. According to Cox, understanding and conveying the advantage of nicotine replacements is a significant step in decreasing the number of deaths in the UK due to tobacco.
Other leading experts and scholars like Dr. Ed Stephens of the University of St Andrews and Jamie Hartmann-Boyce of Oxford University agreed that the study was a significant addition to the growing body of research evidence of the long-term safety of e-cigarettes compared to smoking tobacco.
Conclusion
On the basis of this and other similar studies, it does seem that scientists are inclined to agree that using electronic cigarettes and other NRT products can indeed be a viable method for people addicted to smoking to get themselves away from a deadly habit. While there is nothing better than quitting, the use of e-cigarettes may indeed be a useful interim technique to limit exposure to toxins.
Author Bio: Alex Miller is a research fellow associated with numerous public health initiatives in the UK. He has been studying the effects of the use of NRT products and the rising availability of OTC products like patches, sprays, and e liquid UK.