Big U.S. tobacco companies are all developing e-cigarettes. The battery-powered gadgets feature a glowing tip and a heating…

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    Big U.S. tobacco companies are all developing e-cigarettes. The battery-powered gadgets feature a glowing tip and a heating element that turns liquid nicotine and flavorings into a cloud of vapor that users inhale. Some past research has suggested that using e-cigarettes may help smokers cut down on use of traditional tobacco products, or even transition entirely away from tobacco – an idea aggressively marketed by e-cigarette and tobacco companies.

     But a recent European study says that smokers who also use e-cigarettes may be half as likely to give up tobacco as smokers who never vape at all.
    Researchers analyzed data from a 2014 survey of more than 13,000 current or former smokers in the European Union. About 2,500 had tried vaping at least once; 46% of the participants were former smokers and 19% currently or previously used e-cigarettes. The study revealed that people smoked an average of about 14 cigarettes a day when they didn’t vape, and around 16 cigarettes a day when they did.

     “This is important because e-cigarettes are widely promoted as a smoking cessation tool”, said senior author Stanton Glantz of California, San Francisco. “And, while there is no question that some smokers do successfully quit with e-cigarettes, they keep many more people smoking”, he added.

     “Most adult smokers express a desire to quit, and many try and fail”, said Samir Soneji, a health policy researcher in New Hampshire. “E-cigarettes might seem like an appealing cessation tool because the devices in some ways mimic the smoking, but nicotine gum or patches may be more effective.”

RAPAPORT, Lisa. Disponível em: <http://www.foxnews.com>. Acesso em: abr. 2018. Adaptado.