Smokers Can Improve Their Health by Switching to E-Cigarettes

Recently, a paper published by Washington University suggests that middle-aged smokers, aged 30 and above, who switch to e-cigarettes can significantly improve their health and benefit from better physical and mental health, as well as an improved socio-economic status.

The study was supported by public health institutions such as the US National Cancer Institute (NCI) and was published in the global medical journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence. The research monitored the health status of smokers aged 30 and 39, and the results showed that those who switched to e-cigarettes had a lower chance of suffering from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and depression than those who still smoked traditional cigarettes at the age of 39. This confirmed the significant harm reduction effect of e-cigarettes.

Furthermore, e-cigarettes are also beneficial in improving the lifestyle of smokers. “We found that smokers who switched to e-cigarettes were more inclined to exercise and socialize. They became more confident without the smell of smoke on them, and non-smoking friends were more willing to accept them,” the authors wrote in the paper. For middle-aged smokers, switching to e-cigarettes is like turning on a “switch” that leads to a virtuous circle of life: they start to value their health, maintain good habits and attitudes, and subsequently gain more opportunities to improve their socio-economic status.

Middle-aged smokers are also one of the most urgent groups that need to quit smoking. A paper published by The Lancet in December 2022 pointed out that nearly 20% of adult Chinese males die from traditional cigarette smoking. Chinese males born after 1970 will be the group most affected by the harm of traditional cigarettes. “Most of them start smoking before the age of 20. Unless they quit smoking, about half of them will eventually die from it,” said Professor Li Liming of Peking University, one of the authors of the study.

However, middle-aged smokers face various work and life pressures, making it even harder for them to quit smoking. “At this time, switching to e-cigarettes can provide them with a harm reduction method. There is ample evidence to show that e-cigarettes are less harmful than traditional cigarettes,” the authors wrote in the paper.

Taking cardiovascular disease as an example of the research survey, a paper published in May 2022 by the global authoritative journal Circulation showed that the risk of cardiovascular disease in smokers who fully switch to e-cigarettes would be reduced by 30%-40%. Research results released in 2021 by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) showed that biomarkers of carcinogens such as acrylamide, epoxyethane, and chloroethylene in urine would decrease after smokers switch to e-cigarettes. Some of these carcinogens are associated with heart and lung disease, while others affect the eyes, respiratory tract, liver, and kidneys.