Recent studies and reviews, including a comprehensive report by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) in the United Kingdom, have raised interest in the potential benefits of e-cigarettes, or vaping, in reducing harm and assisting smokers in their efforts to quit.
According to a 2024 RCP report, “the evidence of the effectiveness of e-cigarettes as an aid to quitting has become much stronger.” The physicians say one of the key advantages of e-cigarettes is their reduced harm compared to traditional cigarettes.
The RCP report states, that though vaping is not risk-free, “vaping, over the short and medium term, poses a small fraction of the risk of smoking.” The reduced risk is crucial for smokers who are unable to quit nicotine altogether but are looking for a less harmful alternative to tobacco.
The American Heart Association said in a 2023 statement that use of vape products more than doubled from 2017 to 2019, and called for more research on the long-term effects of vape products. According to Dr. Jason J. Rose, a member of the association and associate professor of medicine at the University of Maryland, “there is research indicating that nicotine-containing e-cigarettes are associated with acute changes in several hemodynamic measures, including increases in blood pressure and heart rate.”
But according to the RCP, nicotine is not the primary cause of the major health risks associated with smoking. “Nicotine itself confers little risk to health, though acute exposure at typical levels from consumer nicotine products can result in addiction, short-term enhanced cognitive effects, elevated heart rate and systolic blood pressure.”
This is an essential point for public understanding, according to the Vapor Technology Association (VTA), a US-based organization.
“The leading tobacco control scientists have acknowledged that we are at a tipping point when it comes to understanding the smoking cessation benefits of flavored e-cigarettes for adults looking to quit smoking cigarettes,” a spokesperson for the VTA told Federal Newswire.
The RCP report says the effectiveness of vaping as a smoking cessation tool is supported by various studies. It states that randomized controlled trials and reviews indicate “e-cigarettes with nicotine are more effective at helping people quit at six months or longer than nicotine replacement therapy.”
The report also says e-cigarettes may offer additional benefits for specific populations. For instance, they can be particularly effective for smokers with mental health issues, including those who are not motivated to quit or have been unable to quit before. The report notes that “e-cigarettes that are easier to use, such as pod-based devices or disposables, may be more effective in this population.”
E-cigarettes also provide a cost-effective solution for smoking cessation, according to the RCP. The report says vape products can be a cheaper tool for public health services and health care systems that have smoking cessation programs.
“It’s time for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to follow the science and authorize a diverse marketplace of nicotine alternatives, including flavored e-cigarettes, for adults looking to quit smoking,” the VTA spokesperson said.
Among recommendations by the RCP, it says that “measures to encourage e-cigarette use for smoking cessation encompassing policies that address availability, affordability, access to nicotine-containing e-cigarettes together with information and support to use these products should be expanded.”
The RCP report provides additional recommendations including to promote e-cigarettes as an effective cessation tool, though it adopts the American Heart Association recommendation for further research on the long-term effects of vaping.