{"id":2977,"date":"2019-01-22T10:57:30","date_gmt":"2019-01-22T10:57:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/?p=2977"},"modified":"2019-01-22T10:57:30","modified_gmt":"2019-01-22T10:57:30","slug":"vaping-smokers-who-switch-could-be-less-likely-to-use-cigarettes-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/2019\/01\/22\/vaping-smokers-who-switch-could-be-less-likely-to-use-cigarettes-again\/","title":{"rendered":"Vaping: smokers who switch could be less likely to use cigarettes again"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>In an article for <\/em>The Conversation, Markos Klonizakis<\/strong>, reader in clinical physiology, discusses the benefits and risks of using e-cigarettes to give up smoking. His team is looking at the effects of vaping on small veins and arteries.<\/em><\/p>\n

One of the most common New Year\u2019s resolutions is to stop smoking. Quite rightly so, considering smoking is the biggest leading, preventable cause of death, worldwide. In fact, tobacco is the only legally-available product that kills up to one in every two users<\/a>, when used as intended.<\/p>\n

There are a number of ways to stop smoking. But the most common include going \u201ccold turkey\u201d, the use of medication \u2013 usually offered by doctors and stop smoking services \u2013 or the switch to e-cigarettes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s little doubt that e-cigarettes, more commonly known as \u201cvapes\u201d, are less harmful than conventional cigarettes<\/a>. But discussions around exactly how harmful e-cigarettes<\/a> could be to users and those within close proximity, are still ongoing.<\/p>\n

Unlike research conducted into the effects of smoking tobacco, very little is understood about any long-term health effects relating to the use of e-cigarettes. This is mainly due to the fact they are a relatively new product and researchers struggle to study people who use e-cigarettes that have never smoked conventional cigarettes.<\/p>\n

Public Health England reports<\/a> that e-cigarettes are approximately 95% less harmful than conventional cigarettes. However, professor John Newton, Public Health England\u2019s director of health improvement, says<\/a>: ‘Our position on the figure is that it is the best available published estimate. It is a useful figure, but it is not a precise scientific estimate<\/em>.’<\/p>\n

Although e-cigarettes do not contain some of the more dangerous components of conventional cigarettes \u2013 such as tar or carbon monoxide \u2013 some potentially harmful products may be present, including certain heavy metals. The lack of regulation in the industry makes the work of researchers more difficult, as differences between brands can have an impact on any research findings.<\/p>\n

Gaps in knowledge<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is estimated that 2.9m people in the UK regularly use e-cigarettes according to a recent parliamentary report<\/a>. And in 2016, The Tobacco Control Plan<\/a> \u2013 an initiative from the Department of Health and Social Care which aims to reduce smoking in England \u2013 estimated over 470,000 people were using e-cigarettes as a way to stop smoking.<\/p>\n

However, the report does not go on to say how many of those using e-cigarettes as an aid to quit smoking achieved this goal. Nor is there yet a true picture of the effects e-cigarettes can have on the small veins and arteries \u2013 in both smokers and \u201csecond-hand\u201d smokers. These are fundamental knowledge gaps.<\/p>\n

I am currently leading a study at Sheffield Hallam University<\/a> that looks at the benefits and risks of using e-cigarettes to stop smoking. We focus on cardiovascular health, looking at the effect on small veins and arteries.<\/p>\n

With funding from Heart Research UK, study participants have their progress monitored over a six-month period. The participants are split into three groups: one using nicotine rich e-cigarettes, another which is given nicotine-free e-cigarettes, and a third group which is provided with nicotine replacement therapy with the support of Sheffield\u2019s stop smoking services.<\/p>\n

All participants receive an identical type of behavioural support to stop smoking, based on the stop smoking services\u2019 support framework. And we are still looking for people to take part in the study. Participants must be willing to give up smoking and be prepared to follow their assigned programme.<\/p>\n

Quitting for good<\/strong><\/p>\n

The research team is measuring participants\u2019 cholesterol levels and their nicotine dependence. We are also looking at the amount of carbon monoxide in their breath and assessing the functioning of the small arteries and veins. Results of this mini \u201ccheck-up\u201d are provided to participants as well.<\/p>\n

Preliminary findings show that people who are randomly allocated to the e-cigarette groups are most likely not to take up smoking again and complete their stop smoking attempt, within the study course.<\/p>\n

This supports previous work<\/a> and anecdotal evidence in the field \u2013 but to make sure this is definitely the case, we are also dividing participants in each group between those who are successful and those who are not. We are assessing the reasons why the latter group didn\u2019t complete their attempt.<\/p>\n

It is hoped that in time, these findings will help to inform new guidelines around the use of e-cigarettes to quit smoking. Importantly, this work will also allow smokers to be given more options and be better informed, so that they can stop smoking for good.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In an article for The Conversation, Markos Klonizakis, reader in clinical physiology, discusses the benefits and risks of using e-cigarettes to give up smoking. His team is looking at the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3083,"featured_media":2979,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Vaping: smokers who switch could be less likely to use cigarettes again","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[21,104,367],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2977","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-research","category-wellbeing"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/files\/2019\/01\/Vaping.jpg?fit=1028%2C624&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8KEAX-M1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1600,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.ac.uk\/hwbstaffnews\/2018\/03\/14\/national-no-smoking-day\/","url_meta":{"origin":2977,"position":0},"title":"It’s National No Smoking Day","author":"Sarah Briscoe","date":"March 14, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Today is National No Smoking Day, a day\u00a0to\u00a0encourage people to\u00a0take the plunge and quit their smoking habit.\u00a0 We are all aware\u00a0of the negative effects that smoking has on our overall health\u00a0and wellbeing, but kicking the habit can be hard. 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