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Tag: study
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International Study Debunks Vaping-to-Smoking Myth
An international study completed by Queen Mary University in London discovered that vaping does not lead to smoking cigarettes. There have been many myths abound about the link between vaping and smoking.
It has been a long-standing belief that vaping could act as a gateway to traditional cigarette smoking. Researchers discovered that there is no sign e-cigarettes promote or cause cigarette smoking.
“There is no sign of that, and there are some signs that they, in fact, compete against cigarettes”, states Professor Peter Hajek, Director of the Health and Lifestyle Research Unit at Queen Mary University.
“The results of this study alleviate the concern that access to e-cigarettes and other low-risk nicotine products promotes smoking.”, Hajek states, emphasizing the study’s findings.
Joey Dulay, president of the Philippine E-Cigarette Industry Association, also weighed in on the findings. “Among our peers, I have not seen any vaper turn into a smoker. It is either they continue to use e-cigarettes or quit altogether. In fact, I know a lot of former smokers who are now using e-cigarettes, which are far less harmful than combustible tobacco”.
The link between vaping and smoking: The Study
The comprehensive and in-depth study encompassed multiple countries in order to conclude its findings. Rather than encourage cigarette use, vaping seems to be causing a decline in it.
When comparing smoking rates between countries with differing e-cigarette regulations, the findings were striking.
Countries like Australia, where e-cigarette sales are banned, experienced a gradual decline in smoking. Meanwhile, in areas like the U.K. and the U.S., where e-cigarettes are more accessible, show a faster decline.
The study also examined countries where other smoking/e-cigarette alternatives are most popular, such as Sweden, where oral nicotine pouches are the delivery of choice. Japan and South Korea are also studied, where it’s common to heat tobacco rather than burn it.
While the promising study by the British university captivates attention, additional research on the link between vaping and smoking remains necessary. In the future they may be able to confirm the findings, as well as expand on the long term effects of vaping and other nicotine delivery products.
Professor Brian Ferguson, Director of the Public Health Research Programme (NIHR), shared his concluding thoughts on the researcher’s information.
“The initial findings from this study are valuable, but no firm conclusions can be drawn yet. More research is needed in this area to understand further the impact that alternative nicotine delivery products, such as e-cigarettes, might have on smoking rates,” he explained.
Many countries have opposing views and laws on e-cigarettes and smoking. It’s hard to say what will come for the future. However, it is certainly reassuring to have some light shed on current events. This news supports a favourable outlook on the future for nicotine users worldwide.
If you’re interested in using a low-risk nicotine product to quit smoking, read the owner’s testimonial here.
References
- John Lopez, Study Debunks Smoking Gateway Myth: Vaping Not Linked to Cigarette Smoking, Tech Times 2023. https://www.techtimes.com/articles/296990/20230929/study-debunks-smoking-gateway-myth-vaping-linked-cigarette.htm
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Study Confirms Vaping Far Less Toxic Than Smoking
A replication study of an experiment on vaping vs smoking has demonstrated that vaping is far less toxic than tobacco cigarettes.
The study was overseen by the Center of Excellence for the acceleration of Harm Reduction of the University of Catania or CoEHAR and carried out by 5 separate university research teams. It was part of the “Replica Project” which looks to replicate previous studies conducted in the tobacco product industry in a high quality mannar.
A large reason for this replication study was that many of the studies done in this field have been conducted by the tobacco industry and would therefore constitute a conflict of interest. Since many of the studies have not been replicated or properly reviewed, the quality of the experiment and findings can be called into question. This study was aimed at making improvements in the research methodology, to try and bring a larger degree of reliability in the data and results.
In order to reduce bias and increase the reliability in the results, CoEHAR standardized or eliminated many of the variable factors in the original study. Some of the variables that were affected by this were nicotine levels, frequency of use, the analysis of the same cells in the throat, and participant history. Many previous findings used participants who were former smokers and would therefore have skewed health data in terms of their toxicity levels. The researchers decided to replicate the study using a method that is called “neutral red uptake”. Neutral red uptake is the standardized method used by the industry and is advised by the FDA and the European Commission in order to provide a toxicity profile update.
The largest factor in causing harm with tobacco-related products are the combustible products rather than the nicotine itself. The combustible products in traditional cigarettes expose people to over 400 different toxic compounds such as free radicals, nitrates and carbonyls. Vaping nicotine rather than smoking a cigarette eliminates these compounds from the equation, leading to far less harm on the user.
Part of the problem with previous studies and data is that some of it has been misleading or made to look inconclusive. While there is little to no one who would argue that nicotine use or vaping products are risk-free or harmless, the actual debate is whether it is more or less harmful than traditional smoking. Over five million people a year die because of tobacco-related products, a number that could potentially be reduced with less harmful alternatives. When polled, 90% of current smokers would switch to a less harmful product if they believed it to be safer. To quote CoEHAR Director Professor Giovanni Li Volti “If you are obese, your doctor will tell you to go on a diet. If you have high glycemia because you are diabetic, your doctor will give you insulin. If you are addicted to heroin, they might give you methadone – they switch you to a less harmful product. But if you smoke, they just tell you to quit smoking, like it’s very easy – but it’s not.”. It was found that only about 15% of people are able to just quit smoking, leaving 85% of people to potentially develop lung cancer or cardiovascular disease.
A criticism of previous data in this field is surrounding the long-term effects of vaping. In the past, it was argued that since vaping was still fairly new, no long-term studies could be conducted and would therefore have inconclusive results. Vaping has now been around for over a decade, allowing long-term studies to be carried out and investigated. In previous studies many of the subjects were previous smokers who had smoked for over 20 years, making it hard to determine if the toxicity was caused by their years of smoking or directly from vaping. We now have data from subjects who never smoked but have been exclusively vaping. This makes the data much more reliable since it will include much fewer variables.
The original study found that vaping was 95% less toxic than traditional smoking. The new study (using 5 separate measures in order to reduce variability) found that this was in fact true.
While it is still difficult to find research or articles in this area that is free from bias, the data within the studies and methodologies used can lend a large amount of credibility. It is always important to consider the source of funding, the organization conducting the study, as well as the quality of the actual experiment when reading about this topic. We at Canada Vapes strive to improve the lives of our customers and reduce the overall harm of smoking through our product offerings or with up-to-date scientific information. To once again quote Professor Giovanni Li Volti “Don’t forget there’s a huge percentage of people who are still smoking who would switch if they were correctly informed – so we have to reach those people. If we can, we have a 90% chance of reducing their chances of getting chronic diseases.”
Hopefully, this post has been helpful in informing you about vaping vs smoking and in potentially making the transition away from cigarettes. A link to the study is included below should you wish to read further.
Full Report: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-03310-y
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50,000-70,000 smokers quit each year using vapes in England, a UCL study finds
Vaping Aids in Smoking Cessation: UCL Study Reveals
A recent study published by the scientific journal of addiction in England has discovered a positive correlation between the initiation of vaping and the cessation of smoking.
The Study and Its Findings
The research, led by University College London researchers and funded by Cancer Research UK, found a link between the success rates of quitting smoking and the use of e-cigarettes starting in 2011. Interestingly, in England, the number of smokers using e-cigarettes plateaued about four years ago, as did the success rate of quitting smoking.
The Impact of Vaping on Smoking Cessation
The data led researchers to conclude that in 2017, for instance, between 50,700 to 69,930 smokers were able to quit smoking due to vaping, and likely would not have been able to quit otherwise.
Expert Opinions
Dr. Emma Beard, the senior research associate at UCL and the lead author of the study, explained that the study is simply further evidence that vaping can aid smokers in quitting. Dr Beard states: “This study builds on population surveys and clinical trials that find e-cigarettes can help smokers stop. England seems to have found a sensible balance between regulation and promotion of e-cigarettes. Millions of smokers are using them to try to stop smoking or to cut down the amount they smoke”
George Butterworth, a senior policy manager at Cancer Research UK, has stated that “research shows that vaping is less harmful than smoking tobacco and can help people to stop smoking. So it’s good that over 50,000 people managed to give up in 2017”
The Right Approach to Vaping and E-Cigarette Regulations
It appears that England has struck the right balance when it comes to vaping and e-cigarette rules and regulations. By using funding from the cancer society to fund research such as this, it opens up new and exciting information about the real-world benefits of seeing over 50,000 smokers starting vaping and quitting smoking, converting to what Mr Butterworth calls a “less harmful” alternative.
You can view the complete study HERE.