Do electronic cigarettes really help stop smoking? Here is everything you need to know

Washington DC: A new study found that an electronic cigarette helps adults quit smoking, but also increases the risk of relapse in some former smokers.

"This study is the first to indicate that even though smokers are successful in quitting with electronic cigarettes, they still need to be monitored by doctors and health professionals to avoid long-term recidivism." said Ramchandar Gomajee, lead author of the study.

The study, published in the medical journal JAMA Internal Medicine, tracked more than 5,000 daily smokers for an average of two years.

The results indicate that smokers who evaporated used fewer cigarettes daily and were more than one and a half times more likely to quit smoking altogether.

But researchers also noted over 2,000 former smokers and found that those who used e-cigarettes were more likely to start smoking again.

"So while [e-cigarette] use can help people reduce their tobacco use in the short term, there is no indication that it is an effective help to quit smoking in the long term, "said the researchers. The study also found that the risk of relapse was invisible in people who had just quit smoking.

The study took into account people who quit smoking in 2010 and in this sample, found that vaping increased the risk of relapse.

In contrast, when researchers took into account those who quit smoking in 2013 and after 2013, they were less likely to relapse. According to the researchers, "technical improvements in [e-cigarettes] over time "might explain why they were less likely to relapse.

"Prior to the technological advancements made around 2013, electronic cigarette devices were difficult to use and only effective for the most avid potential smokers," said Gregory Conley, president of the American Vaping Association.

Earlier this year, researchers in another study found that e-cigarettes were almost twice as effective at helping smokers quit smoking than traditional nicotine replacement therapies, such as nicotine patches.

"While e-cigarettes may pose a potential risk to adult smokers, they have proven to be a popular road for nicotine addiction among young people," said Dr. Robert Jackler, founder of the Stanford Research group on Impact of tobacco advertising.