Tropes

ScienceDaily_2013 07951.txt

#Smoking cessation experts weigh in on e-cigaretteswith the third and largest of the U s. tobacco companies planning an e-cigarette product launch this fall this next frontier for Big Tobacco provides renewed presence in a declining marketplace. It's also a potential gateway to new smokers particularly among teens and in emerging/foreign markets according to behavioral scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. E-cigarettes are powered battery devices that provide inhaled doses of nicotine vapors and flavorings. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about 6 percent of adults have tried e-cigarettes a number that has doubled nearly since 2010. Absent of tobacco e-cigarettes have been promoted as a possible aid in getting people to stop smoking and thereby reducing their lung cancer risk. However MD Anderson cancer prevention experts Paul Cinciripini Ph d. director of the Tobacco Treatment Program and Alexander Prokhorov M d. Ph d. head of the Tobacco Outreach Education Program caution that more research is needed to understand the potential role of e-cigarettes in smoking cessation. Independent studies must rigorously investigate e-cigarettes as there's considerable potential benefit in these products if they're regulated and their safety is ensured says Cinciripini. But promoting the e-cigarettes already on the shelves as'safe'is misleading and if looked at as a harmless alternative to cigarettes could potentially lead to a new generation of smokers more likely to become tobacco dependent. With the impending introduction of another e-cigarette Prokhorov and Cinciripini urge consumers to know the following information.#¢#¢E-cigarettes are unregulated and there's little research on their safety or efficacy as smoking cessation tools. These products are approved not by the Food and Drug Administration and this is concerning because it's impossible to know what you're really getting or if it's safe. In one analysis nicotine levels have been shown to vary widely among e-cigarette products says Prokhorov. For now he recommends that those looking to quit stick with approved devices such as nicotine inhalers.#¢#¢Switching from tobacco to e-cigarettes could help smokers avoid approximately 6000 chemicals some of which are human carcinogens. Reduced exposure to harmful chemicals warrants research of these products as a smoking cessation vehicle says Cinciripini. Unbiased studies free from the ethical and legal challenges of'Big Tobacco'-sponsored trials are needed.#¢#¢Branded as safer available in a variety of colors and flavors and promoted by celebrities e-cigarettes could be a hook for future smokers. E-cigarettes are a novel way to introduce tobacco smoking to young people and their potential'gateway'role should be a concern for parents and health officials alike adds Prokhorov. Once a young person gets acquainted with nicotine it's more likely that they'll try other tobacco products. E-cigarettes are a promising growth area for the tobacco companies allowing them to diversify their addictive and lethal products with a so-called safe cigarette says Prokhorov. Unfortunately there's no proof that e-cigarettes are risk-free. Cinciripini has more than 30 years'experience conducting basic and clinical research in smoking cessation and nicotine psychopharmacology. Prokhorov is the principal architect of MD Anderson's ASPIRE program a teen-focused website and Tobacco Free Teens a smartphone app--both are new approaches to keeping young people free from the grips of nicotine addiction. For further information see the news release and video interview at: http://www. mdanderson. org/newsroom/news-releases/2013/e-cigarettes. htmlstory Source: The above story is provided based on materials by University of Texas M d. Anderson Cancer Center. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length

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