Modified on: 29/05/2024
Veronesi has defended the use of the electronic cigarette. That’s why
The electronic cigarette and vaping e liquid can help a lot for those who want to quit smoking. And vaping without nicotine does not hurt if you do it with the aim of abandoning the analog cigarette.
Umberto Veronesi, one of the leading Italian oncologists who, among the numerous successes, started the European Institute of Oncology (IEO) and held the role of Scientific Director and Scientific Director emeritus, also said so.
Not just any person, but one of the most reliable people with regards to cancer studies and their prevention.
Today we will talk about his opinion on the electronic cigarette, even with the use of nicotine-free e liquid base, so that you can clear your mind about it.
The advantages of the electronic cigarette according to Umberto Veronesi
During an interview with RepubblicaTV in 2014, Professor Umberto Veronesi spoke about the advantages of the electronic cigarette in this way:
“The gigantic advantage is that tobacco is no longer smoked. We call it tobacco free cigarettes, because this is what matters, the fact that it is electronic is secondary. Without tobacco, everyone can use it as much as he wants and lung cancer does not come, so the situation is simplified as much as possible. “
The journalist also asked him a very specific question: “Can the electronic cigarette make you stop smoking?”, to which Veronesi gave the following answer: “For now it seems so. If theoretically people stop smoking in our country, there would be 30,000 fewer deaths per year. “
Veronesi asserted that the Italian state was mainly focused on the tobacco monopoly rather than on the hundreds of lives broken per day by tobacco. For this reason, he felt the need to carefully study the effects and benefits of the e cigarette on people who wished to quit smoking, supported by his team.
For example, Carlo Cipolla, Director of the Cardiology Division of the IEO (founded by Umberto Veronesi) confidently affirms that no analog cigarette cessation treatment works alone, but must be part of a path guided in particular by a doctor.
Read also: How to put the liquid in the electronic cigarette: best practices
Not only that: in a context where the fight against smoking is neglected and the results in this regard are very poor, Cipolla sees in the tobacco-free cigarette a potential support for quitting smoking.
Veronesi was a strong supporter of e cigarettes and strongly involved his team, so much so that he conducted several studies on it. One is particularly significant: this is the pilot study regarding the tobacco free cigarette for the fight against smoking.
The pilot study on the electronic cigarette of the European Institute of Oncology (IEO)
This study, that is the pilot study on the electronic cigarette of IEO, was approved by both the EMEA (European Medicine Agency) and the American authority for experimentation and has given excellent results.
We want to clarify that this was the starting point regarding the in-depth analysis on e-cigarettes as a method to definitively abandon the cigarette with tobacco. It was in no way aimed at promoting the electronic cigarette but focused on its benefits in smokers; in fact, the e cig is not recommended for non-smokers but absolutely recommended for those who smoke analog cigarettes.
So, let’s talk about the pilot study, which involved three scientific hospitalization and treatment institutes in Milan, namely the IEO, the Monzino Cardiology Center and the San Raffaele Hospital. The research focused on about 70 patients who have been smokers for at least 10 years and who have recently been diagnosed with cancer or who have had an acute myocardial infarction.
The goal of the study was to lead patients to quit smoking cigarettes. 36 of them were followed only by dedicated medical staff, with whom usually 20 to 25% success is achieved, while the others had at their disposal (in addition to counseling) an e cigarette liquid without nicotine.
The results after 6 months? 60% of patients who also had e-cigarettes stopped smoking; of the 36 patients followed without electronic cigarettes, only 32% were able to quit smoking. The period of abstinence was not based only on confidence, but was documented by measuring the carbon monoxide, which detected any relapse of the smoker.
If you want to learn more, here is the video in which doctors Veronesi and Cipolla describe the results of the study:
Read also: How to choose the electronic cigarette liquid? 3 tips to choose the right one for you
Can you quit smoking thanks to the electronic cigarette?
The pilot study by the European Institute of Oncology and many other independent researches (unrelated researches to e cig liquid vaping companies) show yes.
Of course, it must always be considered that many people suffer from nicotine withdrawal, so to avoid relapses it is advisable to use e liquid with nicotine UK (or neutral e liquid base + nicotine shots) and then gradually reduce this substance until it reaches zero.
It would also be advisable to receive psychological support (what we have called counseling) in order not to fall back into tobacco smoke in any way.
The electronic cigarette is a very valid help to quit smoking, but we must take into account that nicotine is a toxic substance for our body: for this reason, we suggest you “deceive” your body by progressively reducing the percentages of this substance until it is completely eliminated.
Sources: