LONDON - Thousands of people appear to have been helped to quit smoking by using e-cigarettes, according to new study hailed by campaigners as a sign that the controversial device is helping to improve people's health.
The researchers, from University College London (UCL) and Cancer Research UK, estimated that 18,000 people in England became “long-term ex-smokers” in 2015 as a result of taking up vaping. They said that attempts to stop smoking had stayed roughly the same, but e-cigarette use was associated with a greater chance of success.
More than 100,000 people die every year in the UK as a result of using tobacco, which is the leading preventable cause of cancer. Some 2.8 million people are now believed to use e-cigarettes. While they are viewed as a way to give up smoking by many, others have expressed concern that non-smokers are taking up vaping.
But one of the researchers, Professor Robert West, of UCL's Health Behaviour Research Centre, said: “England is sometimes singled out as being too positive in its attitude to e-cigarettes. This data suggests that our relatively liberal regulation of e-cigarettes is probably justified.”
Other experts commenting on the research appeared to agree. Dr Mike Knapton, associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation (BHF), said: “ Stopping smoking is the single most important step you can take to improve your heart health, and we know that more and more people are turning to e-cigarettes to quit. What's reassuring is this study suggests that rather than undermining people's efforts, using e-cigarettes improves the likelihood of someone quitting.”
However he added there was a need to assess the “potential long-term effects” of vaping. BHF is funding research to find out “whether or not [e-cigarettes] are as safe as people think”, he added.
The Independent