Nicotine vapes best chance to quit smoking, major review finds
An updated Cochrane review of the most recent and highest-quality evidence has concluded that nicotine vapes are more effective than patches, gum or pills in helping people quit smoking, the BBC reported late on 25 August. The finding applies only to regulated e-cigarettes that are checked for quality and comply with strict safety laws — not unregulated devices, which the review did not examine and which can contain illicit substances such as spice or THC.
By Source Reporters Newsdesk
Thu, 27 August 2026 · 1 min read
An updated Cochrane review of the most recent and highest-quality evidence has concluded that nicotine vapes are more effective than patches, gum or pills in helping people quit smoking, the BBC reported late on 25 August (BBC News). The finding applies only to regulated e-cigarettes that are checked for quality and comply with strict safety laws — not unregulated devices, which the review did not examine and which can contain illicit substances such as spice or THC.
The review comes as vaping overtakes smoking in Britain: around 5.4 million people aged over 16 now use vapes daily or occasionally, slightly more than the roughly 5.3 million — about 10 per cent of adults — who say they smoke cigarettes, according to figures cited by the BBC (BBC News).
Experts say that while vaping is not risk-free, it is far safer than smoking. The review found no evidence of any increased risk of serious harm from using e-cigarettes as a quit-smoking aid, although the long-term risks remain unclear. The NHS maintains that children and people who have never smoked should never vape.
Dr Jamie Hartmann-Boyce, one of the report's authors, cautioned that unlicensed products are a different matter: "Unlicensed e-cigarettes are potentially dangerous, with issues including unstable batteries and harmful chemicals," she said, advising anyone using e-cigarettes to quit to buy only devices tested and approved by their country's regulator (BBC News; Cochrane Library).
The findings sit against a backdrop of continued concern about youth vaping. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health warned last week that vapes could cause health harms in children and act as a gateway to smoking, and said devices should be made "less attractive" to young people (BBC News).
**Sources:** BBC, cochranelibrary.com
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