Flavoured vapes, including fruit and sweet options, are more effective at reducing smoking than traditional tobacco flavour, a new study has found.
Countries around the world are increasingly banning the sale of flavoured vapes, allowing only tobacco and menthol flavours. The aim is to reduce the appeal of vaping among children and young people.
However, a new report, published in the Journal of American Medical Association, suggests the move will negatively impact adults trying to quit or cut down on smoking.
Reducing smoking in high-risk groups
The scientific trial was held at the University of Vermont, Brown University, and Johns Hopkins University, with 326 daily smokers from high-risk groups.
These included adults with affective disorders (mental illness), those with opioid use disorder (drug use), and females of reproductive age with lower educational levels.
All of them were not planning to quit smoking in the following 30 days, making them a critical group for understanding the effectiveness of strategies to reduce smoking.
The participants were divided into four groups and given different smoking interventions; normal nicotine content (NNC) cigarettes, very low nicotine content (VLNC) cigarettes, VLNC cigarettes combined with vapes in tobacco flavour (VLNC + TF) and VLNC cigarettes combined with vapes in preferred flavours, such as fruity and sweet (VLNC + PF).
After 16 weeks, all groups using VLNC cigarettes showed a significant reduction in the number of cigarettes smoked per day (CPD) when compared to those smoking regular nicotine cigarettes.
Preferred vape flavours most effective
However, the most significant reduction was observed in participants who could use their preferred vape flavours (VLNC + PF). This group smoked an average of 7.63 cigarettes per day, significantly lower than the 14.32 cigarettes per day in the VLNC-only group and 11.76 in the VLNC + TF group.
Reduced exposure to harmful tobacco
Tobacco-related carcinogen levels were also lowest in the preferred flavour group in addition to the reduced smoking frequency. This suggests that not only did preferred flavours help the participants smoke fewer cigarettes, but they also led to a greater reduction in harmful tobacco exposure.
The findings highlight the crucial role flavoured vapes can play in supporting smoking reduction efforts among high-risk adults.
The results back up a study earlier this year that found restricting the choice of flavoured vapes would lead ex-smokers back to the deadly habit.
The research by the University of Bristol suggested the move - which is becoming increasingly popular in an effort to curb vaping in young people - would have an adverse effect on adults who use vapes as a tool to quit or cut down on smoking.
