Generally, electronic cigarettes are being marketed as safer alternatives to traditional cigarettes.
This also led to the idea that e-cigs and vapes can be used to help conventional smokers quit their unhealthy habit.
However, various studies carried out in the past have suggested that e-cigarettes are harmful to one's health as these still contain nicotine and other toxic chemicals. In addition, a new study carried out by a team of researchers revealed that these electronic devices are not effective smoking cessation methods, Medical News Today reported.
The researchers came to this conclusion after conducting an experiment on conventional smokers who also use c-cigs and non-smokers who use these devices. The study also featured smokers who want to quit and those who don't.
After the experiment, the researchers discovered that those from the first group, or the conventional and e-cig smokers, are less likely to quit smoking by 28 percent than the other group of participants.
"We found that e-cigarette use was associated with significantly less quitting," lead author Stanton Glantz of the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education in San Francisco said in a statement according to WebMD.
"E-cigarettes are being promoted as a means if quitting, but they're actually having the opposite effect," the researcher added.
Medical experts believe that the ineffectiveness of e-cigs as cessation devices might be caused by its nicotine content. In other words, these devices still provide the same sensation as cigarettes to smokers.
"It tells us simply switching from one nicotine delivery system to another nicotine delivery system doesn't lead to quitting the first delivery system," Dr. Norman Edelman of the American Lung Association said according to CBS News.
"People will not naturally give u cigarettes, even though in most venues e-cigarettes are cheaper and people consider e-cigarettes to be safer," he added.
For the researchers, implementing stricter laws could improve the function of e-cigs as cessation devices. According to them, limiting people's access to these devices can probably alter the results of clinical trials that are aimed at studying their effectiveness in helping people quit.
The results of the study is the latest hurdle challenging the use of electronic cigarettes. Aside from their hazardous effects on health, various groups have already criticized makers and sellers of these devices for also releasing flavored liquids for the e-cigs. Given the various flavor variations, which are mostly candy and fruit-based, critics argue that manufacturers are trying to target younger audiences for their harmful products.
