The purpose of e-cigarettes was to help people quit smoking. However it was proved in numerous studies that they are not actually helpful in that sense, but on the contrary, even make people want to smoke more.

According to the paper published in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine journal people who use electronic cigarettes are actually 28 percent less likely to give up normal cigarettes. The study concluded that these vaping gadgets should not be recommended as a measure to quit smoking until there is solid proof that e-cigarettes are indeed beneficial.

E-cigarettes or e-cigs use batteries that heat up liquid nicotine and flavors and deliver vapor which is inhaled by the user. These devices are advertised as healthier alternatives to conventional cigarettes because when using them one does not inhale carcinogenic smoke.

Whether e-cigarettes are useful or not it is a matter which has been studied numerous times and studies have led to conflicting results. However the present study is the largest one until now.

Co-author of the study, Dr. Sara Kalkhoran from the UCSF School of Medicine then and now at Harvard Medical School and at Massachusetts General Hospital, explained that as they are now being used e-cigarettes are linked with less quitting rates among smokers. The doctor noted:

“E-cigarettes should not be recommended as effective smoking cessation aids until there is evidence that, as promoted and used, they assist smoking cessation.”

The US Preventive Service Task Force concluded that the proof was insufficient in order to recommend e-cigarettes as reliable devices which can help smokers quit. FDA (the United States Food and Drug Administration) is also concerned over the fact that these products are unregulated and they might contain toxic substances and unknown chemicals. None of the e-cigarettes producing companies has submitted any application for the FDA to approve the products for smoking cessation and the agency has not taken any measure against companies which claim that e-cigarettes are effective against smoking.

The research team analyzed 38 studies which claimed that e-cigarettes prevent smoking and 20 studies which used control groups of smokers who used regular cigarettes and combined the results. As previously mentioned the findings indicate that smokers using e-cigarettes had 28 percent lower chances of giving up smoking compared to those who used conventional cigarettes.

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