Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, even as rates of cigarette smoking have fallen to an all-time low of approximately 10% in 2024. Some studies suggest that electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), help people quit smoking and expose them to fewer harmful chemicals - but products have changed rapidly, and it's unclear whether these benefits still hold true.
A new study led by researchers from Penn State College of Medicine found that switching to a pod-based salt-nicotine e-cigarette - one of the most popular types of e-cigarettes on the market - could improve the odds of quitting cigarette smoking while meaningfully lowering exposure to harmful chemicals. The study, published today (May 19) in JAMA Network Open, found that daily smokers who started using a nicotine e-cigarette were three times more likely to quit smoking within six weeks compared to those who used an identical-looking e-cigarette containing no nicotine. They also had lower levels of several tobacco-related toxicants in their body.
"For people who smoke and haven't been able to quit using approved medications, this research suggests that switching to a nicotine e-cigarette is associated with real reductions in harmful toxicant exposures and does support smoking cessation," said Jessica Yingst, associate professor of public health sciences and lead author on the paper. "That's a meaningful finding for public health."
The researchers said that, to their knowledge, this is the first randomized placebo-controlled trial conducted in the United States to measure the effects of switching completely from cigarettes to pod-based salt-nicotine e-cigarettes.
