Researchers have found that nicotine e-cigarettes help more smokers quit than traditional nicotine replacement therapies like patches and gum. A review of 14 systematic studies from 2014 to 2023 shows consistent high-quality evidence favoring nicotine vapes. The findings highlight gaps in research on long-term risks and comparisons to other treatments.
A team led by Dr. Angela Difeng Wu from the University of Oxford's Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences analyzed 14 systematic reviews on smoking cessation methods. The highest-quality studies consistently demonstrated higher quit rates with nicotine e-cigarettes compared to nicotine patches, gum, lozenges, non-nicotine e-cigarettes, and behavioral support programs alone. Lower-quality research showed more mixed results, but the strongest evidence supports nicotine e-cigarettes as more effective. The work, published in the journal Addiction, was funded by Cancer Research UK. Dr. Wu stated, 'We hope this overview and Evidence and Gap Map can lay to rest some claims that evidence is mixed regarding the impacts of nicotine e-cigarettes on smoking abstinence. In fact, the evidence is clear and consistent across all of the meta-analyses we consulted: e-cigarettes are effective at helping people stop smoking.' Researchers created an Evidence and Gap Map to identify research needs. No high-quality reviews compare nicotine e-cigarettes to cytisine, bupropion, or nicotine pouches, and evidence against varenicline comes from just one small, high-bias study. Data on serious adverse events remains uncertain, and most studies focus on high-income countries. The authors call for more research on risks and diverse populations.
