iStock/Thinkstock(SAN DIEGO) — One of the ways makers of electronic cigarettes market their products is by claiming that “vapes” help to cut down on the use of regular cigarettes.
However, their claims may be just a lot of hot air, according to University of California, San Diego researchers, who studied the habits of 1,000 people in California to determine if e-cigs were helpful in smokers reducing their tobacco intake.
The results were discouraging, particularly for the makers of vapes. Not only did people who “vaped” have a difficult time cutting back on regular smokes, they were also less likely than smokers who never used e-cigarettes to quit smoking for a month or more.
Analyzing the study, University of Utah psychiatrist Jason Hunziker says that people who vape are often unaware of their nicotine intake, making it more difficult to avoid the addictive drug in any form.
Hunziker is also quick to doubt claims that vaping is less harmful than regular cigarettes, adding, “We don’t know if there are toxic substances being inhaled that could be just as bad or worse than smoking traditional cigarettes.”
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