News Staff Science 2.0
E-cigarettes appear to be less addictive than cigarettes for former smokers - and this could assist in efforts to understand how to curb cigarette smoking, according to researchers.
The popularity of e-cigarettes, which typically deliver nicotine, propylene glycol, glycerin and flavorings through inhaled vapor, has increased in the past five years. There are currently more than 400 brands of "e-cigs" available. E-cigarettes contain far fewer cancer-causing and other toxic substances than cigarettes, however their long-term effects on health and nicotine dependence are unknown.
To study e-cigarette dependence, the researchers developed an online survey, including questions designed to assess previous dependence on cigarettes and almost identical questions to assess current dependence on e-cigarettes. More than 3,500 current users who were ex-cigarette smokers completed the Penn State Cigarette Dependence Index and the Penn State Electronic Cigarette Dependence
Higher nicotine concentration in that vaping liquid, as well as use of advanced second-generation e-cigarettes, which deliver nicotine more efficiently than earlier products, led critics to predict dependence. And some consumers who had used e-cigarettes for a long appeared to be more addicted, which provided anecdotal evidence.
"We found that e-cigarettes appear to be less addictive than tobacco cigarettes in a large sample of long-term users," said Jonathan Foulds, professor of public health sciences and psychiatry at Penn State College of Medicine. "However, people with all the characteristics of a more dependent e-cig user still had a lower e-cig dependence score than their cigarette dependence score. We think this is because they're getting less nicotine from the e-cigs than they were getting from cigarettes."
Many regular users on e-cigarettes are trying to quit smoking but because the Food and Drug Administration has not yet approved them for that purpose, they cannot be marketed as a smoking cessation product.
