Oil on fire comes to throw a new study on electronic cigarettes, as it states that these devices can help smokers stop smoking or reduce smoking. 
This is a review done on behalf of the Cochrane Library, the first on the subject. But it does include data from only two randomized studies involving 662 active smokers. This is the first review of data on the subject and includes data from two randomized trials involving 662 active smokers.
The evaluation
Researchers from the UK and New Zealand who assessed the existing data point out that the review should continue to include more evidence. However, public health agencies are still wary of the role of e-cigarettes in continuing or vacation of smoking.
As is well known, electronic smoking devices require inhalation which activates a battery-operated atomizer. However, there are also devices that are activated manually. Then, a heating coil inside the vaporizer heats the liquid nicotine contained in the special vial. The latter is vaporized and thus inhaled by the user. The "smoke" produced by procedure it is mostly water vapor. Many electronic smoking devices have LED lighting to give the smoker the feeling of a traditional cigarette.
The study
The researchers found that about 9% of smokers using electronic cigarettes were able to stop smoking for up to 12 months, perhaps even longer. The corresponding rate was 4% for smokers using non-nicotine devices.
In both studies, considered the "golden rule", 36% of e-cigarette users were able to reduce the number of conventional cigarettes they smoked by half, compared with 28% of those who had used placebo devices. The available data showed no evidence of adverse reactions among e-cigarette users.
Despite the positive results for electronic cigarettes, the researchers point out that they are not considered conclusive, as the number of studies on the subject is still small as well as the sample of participants. Commenting on the results of the study, Peter Hatzek from Queen Mary University in London notes that "although the data is limited, the results are considered as encouraging. In both studies, electronic cigarettes with low nicotine dosage were used, and possibly the most modern models were even more effective. The many studies underway are expected to help us reach definitive conclusions on the role of electronic cigarettes in human health. "
It is worth noting that the scientific controversy over e-cigarettes is intensifying as their market share is consolidated. Recent research ruled that they may contain more carcinogens than conventional cigarettes, while another has been shown to be aggravating to smokers' lungs. However, his supporters claim that it is safer for passive smokers and that it helps to stop smoking.
