Nicotine vapes best chance to quit smoking, major review finds

Smokers who want to quit have the best chance of doing so if they use nicotine e-cigarettes, a review has found.

The Cochrane team looked at 80 major trials involving nearly 30,000 people and found that nicotine vapes were more effective than traditional aids such as patches, gum and support plans – increasing the success rate by about 60%, from around six in every 100 managing to quit smoking to one in every 10.

They outperformed non-nicotine vapes too, although researchers say switching to these afterwards might help with weaning off nicotine.

And they could prove more effective than the new anti-smoking pill cytisine, external, which the NHS has started to roll out – although more research is needed.

Experts say vaping, although not entirely risk-free, is far safer than smoking.

In the UK, there are now more over-16s using vapes or e-cigarettes than smoking cigarettes, figures show. Around 5.3 million people or 10% of adults say they smoke, while around 5.4 million use vapes daily or occasionally.

The review, external of the most recent and best quality evidence to date applies to regulated vapes that are checked for quality and compliant with strict safety laws.

It doesn’t look at unregulated ones that can contain illicit substances, like spice or THC.

One of the report authors, Dr Jamie Hartmann-Boyce, cautioned: “Unlicensed e-cigarettes are potentially dangerous, with issues including unstable batteries and harmful chemicals.

“Anyone looking to use e-cigarettes to quit smoking should only purchase devices that have been tested and approved by their country’s regulatory body.”

The review found no evidence of any increased risk of serious harm from using e-cigarettes to quit.

The long-term risks of vaping are not yet clear though, and the NHS says children and non-smokers should never vape.

Doctors say vaping could lead to health harms in children and should be made “less attractive” to them.

Around two in three people who smoke long-term will die from a tobacco-related illness, says the charity Action on Smoking and Health.

According to the World Health Organization, smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death, killing over seven million people a year.

Quitting smoking reduces your risk of serious illnesses like heart disease, lung cancer, and stroke.

Almost every local NHS stop smoking service provides vapes or other support to help people quit.

You can search online, external for your local service with your postcode.