An updated review published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews suggests that e-cigarettes are more effective than simple nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) for helping people quit smoking. This includes products like nicotine patches, gum, or lozenges.
Professor Richard Holland, Professor of Public Health Medicine and Dean of the Medical School at the University of Exeter, noted that the high-quality systematic review gathered data from 80 studies and nearly 30,000 participants. The primary comparison, based on 11 studies and over 4,000 participants, showed e-cigarettes to be more successful in leading to smoking cessation.
Professor John Britton, Emeritus Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Nottingham, stated that the review provides further confirmation that e-cigarettes help smokers quit more effectively than existing medicinal forms of nicotine replacement. He added that smokers wishing to quit should not be discouraged from choosing e-cigarettes, and support services should promote vaping as an option.