Do e-cigarettes help you quit smoking? Not really. A new study has claimed that teenagers who smoke e-cigarettes are likelier to start smoking tobacco.
As per the University of Southern California study, students who have used electronic cigarettes by the time they start ninth grade are more likely than others to start smoking traditional cigarettes and other combustible tobacco products within the next year.
The research found that e-cigarettes deliver nicotine to the lungs by heating a liquid solution that contains nicotine and other chemicals to produce an aerosol that the user inhales, a process often called “vaping.”
Lead author Adam M. Leventhal said that recreational e-cigarette use was becoming increasingly popular among teens who have never smoked tobacco.
Leventhal added that adolescents who enjoyed the experience of inhaling nicotine via e-cigarettes could be more apt to experiment with other nicotine products, including smokeable tobacco.
Leventhal continued that while they could not conclude that e-cigarette use directly lead to smoking, this research raised concerns over the recent increase in youth e-cigarette use which could ultimately perpetuate the epidemic of smoking-related illness.
The study is published in the journal JAMA.
