E-cigarettes better than tobacco: study

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An estimated 42.1 million people in the U.S. smoke cigarettes, that's around 17.8% of the population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC. Cigarette smoking takes 480,000 deaths every year, and is the "leading cause of preventable disease and death in the U.S." More importantly, over 16 million Americans are currently living with a smoking-related disease.

For smokers who want to quit, the electronic or e-cigarette is a viable option that replaces tobacco with various vapors. Just like a regular cigarette, an e-cig features a battery, heating element, and a cartridge that contains nicotine and other liquids and flavorings, according to Web MD. Its safety, however, has been cause for concern since its release.

According to Wall Street Journal, a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that teens who used e-cigarettes were more likely to move on to cigarettes later in life than those who don't.

The research was led by Adam Leventhal of the University of Southern California Health, Emotion and Addiction Laboratory. The research team studied ninth graders at 10 public schools in Los Angeles who had tried using e-cigarettes in 2013, and later found out that these kids were two and a half times more likely to smoke regular cigarettes, five times more likely to smoke cigars, and three times more likely to smoke hookahs, or tobacco water pipes.

"We interpreted it as teens who used e-cigarettes and enjoyed the experience of inhaling nicotine might be more liable to try” other tobacco products," Leventhal said, and this is the reason why there is a need for strong regulations regarding the sale of e-cigarettes to minors.

On the contrary, Reuters reports that another publicly-funded study led by Professor Kevin Fenton from Public Health England showed that e-cigarettes do not contain chemicals that cause smoke-related diseases. In fact, the study said that e-cigarettes are 95 percent less harmful to the health compared to smoking regular cigarettes.

"E-cigarettes are not completely risk free but when compared to smoking, evidence shows they carry just a fraction of the harm," Fenton said. He also mentioned that e-cigarettes are a great tool for those who want to quit smoking entirely.

"The evidence consistently finds that e-cigarettes are another tool for stopping smoking and in my view smokers should try vaping, and vapers should stop smoking entirely," he explained.

One of the important messages drawn out from these studies is the regulation of such products in the market. The Wall Street Journal reports that according to Matthew Myers, president of Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, "The failure of the FDA to regulate this product has created a nationwide human experiment we could pay the price for over decades."