Proven strategy for smoking cessation

E-cigarettes—devices that provide nicotine without the toxic carcinogens of inhaling burning tobacco—are nearly twice as effective at helping smokers quit compared to other products, report U.K. scientists in The New England Journal of Medicine. In a study of 886 smokers, e-cigarette users were 82% more likely to quit smoking cigarettes for at least one year after the study than those using nicotine patches, gum, lozenges and nasal sprays. Both groups also participated in at least four counseling sessions. The study authors say e-cigarettes offer greater flexibility than the set schedule required by other replacements, which may make it easier for patients to continue, but also noted that because nicotine is highly addictive, smoking e-cigarettes, or “vaping,” should be employed only as a last resort.