Nichtrauchen: Umstieg auf E-Zigaretten kann Rauchentwöhnung erleichtern

An extensive study has found that nicotine-based e-cigarettes are more effective than other methods in helping smokers quit, with a significant majority achieving at least six months of abstinence. Eight to ten out of every hundred participants succeeded in quitting smoking for six months or longer with nicotine-containing e-cigarettes, compared to around six percent for nicotine-free e-cigarettes and nicotine replacement therapies.

The Cochrane international research network conducted a meta-analysis of 80 randomized controlled studies involving 29,861 participants and published their findings online in the Cochrane Library. Jamie Hartmann-Boyce from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst led the study, which examined the effectiveness of e-cigarettes as a stepping stone to quitting smoking.

While nicotine-containing e-cigarettes are considerably less harmful than smoking, they are not completely risk-free, according to Ute Mons from the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg. Mons emphasizes that while switching from tobacco cigarettes to e-cigarettes is a cessation method, nicotine dependence and long-term health risks remain with e-cigarette use.

Germany's medical guidelines for smoking cessation currently recommend behavioral therapy, often in group settings and sometimes combined with nicotine replacement products.