A new study in the United States has yielded promising findings on the impact of switching from traditional cigarettes to nicotine vape products.
These findings include the potential to save the lives of smokers and extend their lifespans.
The study which was published in the journal Population Health Metrics involved researchers from the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, the School of Public Health, Yale University, and the Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan.
The research effort was funded by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health and the FDA Center for Tobacco Products in the US.
In the study, researchers examined “attributable deaths and life-years lost” under scenarios in which nicotine vape products were used by smokers at rates based on US data, and one where the products were not used.
This model called the Smoking and Vaping Model (SAVM), was also subjected to extensive sensitivity analysis.
The study estimates that going by the present trend of nicotine vape products use and substitution for traditional cigarettes, it will see 1.8 million deaths being avoided and 38.9 million life-years gained in a span of 47 years.
The study’s findings appear to add to mounting evidence on the health benefits of smokers switching to vaping, which is increasingly gaining prominence in numerous developed countries as a better alternative to traditional cigarettes.
In fact, the research cites multiple independent studies on how nicotine vape products are increasingly being used by smokers to quit smoking with proven effectiveness as well as the health benefits of doing so given that the products deliver only a fraction of the toxicants compared to traditional cigarettes.
These studies were published by, among others, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, BMJ Journals, Oxford Academic Journals, and the Annals of Internal Medicine.
The Georgetown University-led study however qualifies that there is less empirical evidence on the long-term health effects of the use. The study also said that the public health benefits can be amplified with stronger policies directed at reducing smoking initiation and increasing smoking cessation.
The researchers added that policymakers, researchers, and other stakeholders from other nations can apply the SAVM to their countries to better understand the impact of nicotine vape products on public health.
