Do E-Cigarettes Really Work?

BY: JONATHAN KETZ
ANCHOR: ALEX ROZIER

You're watching multisource health news analysis from Newsy


Do they work- or not? That’s what everyone wants to know about e-cigarettes. Researchers are looking for an answer- releasing two studies about the product.

When Boston University's School of Public Health gave respondents e-cigarettes to try, 31 percent of the respondents had entirely stopped smoking after six months. (KOLD)

“This suggests that e-cigarettes can help decrease nicotine dependence, rather than maintain or increase nicotine addiction as some opponents have argued.”

But just 31 percent? According to John’s Hopkins School of Public Health, the number doesn’t matter to people trying to quit. Researchers there studied the number of Internet searches about smoking alternatives.

“Electronic nicotine delivery systems [like the e-cigarette] have emerged as an online leader in popularity among smoking alternatives in Canada, the UK, and the U.S.”

So- they might help you quit, but are they really safe? Hosts on the TV talk show “The Doctors” weighed in.

Andrew: “You know for some people this may be a big help to get them to quit smoking. We don’t want to get people on nicotine. That’s not good either. That constricts your blood vessels.”
Jim: “Yeah, that’s what leads to heart disease.”
Andrew: “But it’s a lot better than consuming all that tar and charcoal and...”
Jim: “Carbon monoxide.”

Good for those trying to quit- and good for everyone else around them, according to Fox Business News’ Peter Barnes.

“No secondary smoke that the rest of us have to take in. Take all of your props and go to your depository and go.”
Peter: “And you can get around smoking bans in restaurants.”

But not so fast, says the FDA. It hasn’t approved the e-cigarette in public places, causing many to question the e-cig’s safety. The Huffington Post’s Daniel Seidman has an easy solution.

“...why not test it out first as a way to quit as well as for its safety? Why not regulate it and make sure it isn't a new way to entice children into smoking?”

Some don't want to give kids the chance to use an e cigarette. Arizona Senator Steve Yarbrough wants to make it illegal for anyone 18 and under. Right now, Arizona teens can legally buy e-cigs.
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1. By: newsydotcom
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4. Added :28-Feb-11
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