International Study Shows E-Cigarettes Reduce Smoking

BOSTON -- A new study conducted in Italy found that adult smokers who tried electronic cigarettes either quit smoking or significantly reduced their cigarette consumption.

The full results of the study conducted by the Lega Italiana Anti Fumo (LIAF) -- the Italian Anti-Smoking League -- will be presented tomorrow by Dr. Riccardo Polosa of the University of Catania in Catania, Italy, at the Omni Parker House in Boston. He will be accompanied by Dr. Michael Siegel from the Boston University School of Public Health and Elaine Keller, president of the Consumer Advocates for Smokefree Alternatives Association.

According to an advance release provided to CSNews Online, the clinical trial followed 300 regular smokers who were selected based on their regular consumption of cigarettes, but who expressed no desire to quit smoking. The results showed that 8.7 percent of participants quit smoking and an additional 10 percent reduced their daily smoking use by more than 50 percent.

In addition, of the 8.7 percent that quit smoking, 70 percent also quit using electronic cigarettes even if they had no desire to quit smoking before joining the study.

The full study results will also be published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal PLOS.