Associate Professor Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Dr Nicola Lindson discuss the emerging evidence in e-cigarette research and interview Dr Leonie Brose, King's College London. This podcast is a companion to the electronic cigarettes Cochrane living systematic review and shares the evidence from the monthly searches.

In the October episode Jamie Hartmann-Boyce interviews Dr Leonie Brose, Reader in Addiction Education and Nicotine Research at King's College London. Leonie Brose talks about the findings of a randomised controlled trial carried out with Dr Markos Klonizakis and the team at Sheffield Hallam University on the medium- and longer-term cardiovascular effects of e-cigarettes in adults making a stop-smoking attempt. The study compared cardiovascular effects in smokers attempting to quit smoking using e-cigarettes with or without nicotine or prescription nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). The study concluded that smokers attempting to quit experienced positive cardiovascular impact after both a 3- and 6-month period. None of the groups (i.e., nicotine-containing and nicotine-free e-cigarettes or NRT) offered superior cardiovascular benefits to the others. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-022-02451-9

Dr Brose also discusses the findings of the report by the Office for Health Improvements and Disparities (OHID) on Nicotine vaping in England: 2022 evidence update summary. The report aims to summarise the evidence on vaping products and to inform policies and regulations. It is a large body of work with 16 chapters covering policy and regulation, vaping and youth and presents the evidence on biomarkers of exposure and biomarkers associated with cancer, respiratory, cardiovascular and other health outcomes. The report also has chapters on fires, poisons and explosions linked to ECs, heated tobacco products and perceptions of harm. The headline from the report was that vaping poses only a small fraction of the risk of smoking combustible cigarettes.

Jamie and Nicola also bring us up to date with the literature search conducted in October 2022. The October search identified 1 new study (https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-022-02451-9), 3 ongoing studies and 1 record linked to a previously identified study. We will include the studies we have found in future updates of the Cochrane review.

OHID Report: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1107701/Nicotine-vaping-in-England-2022-report.pdf

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nicotine-vaping-in-england-2022-evidence-update/nicotine-vaping-in-england-2022-evidence-update-summary

For more information on the full Cochrane review updated in September 2021 see: https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD010216.pub6 or our webpage

https://www.cebm.ox.ac.uk/research/electronic-cigarettes-for-smoking-cessation-cochrane-living-systematic-review-1

This podcast is supported by Cancer Research UK.