What made you decide to try the e cigarette? After reading this article, share your comments and read what others have to say.
You can smoke them virtually anywhere. Many say they will help you quit smoking, a plus for people with COPD who often struggle with smoking cessation. Others are skeptical and afraid to try them. The FDA would like to regulate them as medical products. The e cigarette industry feels that the FDA has no substantiated reason to do so. There’s a lot of talk going on about e cigarettes, so before making a decision to use them, learn the facts about their pros and cons.
What are E Cigarettes?
Electronic cigarettes, or e cigarettes for short, are battery powered devices filled with liquid nicotine (a highly addictive chemical) that is dissolved in a solution of water and propylene glycol. Many of them look like real cigarettes, with a white cylindrical tube, brown filter, and red glowing tip. Others come in less conspicuous, darker colors.
How Do They Work?
Often termed “vaping,” when you take a puff on the end of the e cigarette tube, a battery heats up the nicotine, which creates a vapor that is then inhaled into the lungs. The end result is a sensation of smoke in the mouth and lungs without really smoking.
The Upside to E Cigarettes
Unlike tobacco products, there are no current laws in effect prohibiting the use of e cigarettes in public places. Case in point, I work in a hospital and a fellow nurse smokes them right there in the nursing station.
Here’s what current research says about the positive aspects of this product
- In a study of 40 tobacco dependent smokers, researchers concluded that smoking e cigarettes alleviated the desire to smoke (after abstaining from smoking overnight), was well tolerated, and pharmacologically more like a Nicorette inhaler than tobacco.
- Another study of 50 smokers who wanted to reduce the health risks associated with smoking, but not quit completely, concluded that the Eclipse brand of e cigarettes dramatically decreased the consumption of cigarettes without causing withdrawal symptoms. In addition, when participants smoked Eclipse, the nicotine concentrations in their blood remained fairly stable and their desire to quit altogether remained intact. However, the study concluded that because the Eclipse increased carbon monoxide concentrations in the blood, it may not be a safer choice of cigarette. On the other hand, it caused few, significant adverse events.
- In a case study series, the e cigarette was found to help three study participants who all had a documented history of repeated failed attempts at smoking cessation using professional smoking cessation assistance methods quit smoking and remain abstinent for at least 6 months.
- During an online survey conducted in 2010, researchers polled visitors of websites and discussion forums dedicated to the use of the e cigarette and smoking cessation. Of the 3,587 participants, 70% were former smokers, 61% were men, and the median age was 41 years. On average, participants used the e cigarette for approximately 3 months, drew 120 puffs/day, and used 5 cartridges/day. Almost all of them used cartridges that contained nicotine. Ninety six percent said that the e cigarette helped them quit smoking, while 92% said that it made them smoke less. A majority of the participants said the e cigarette helped them fight cravings, cope with withdrawal symptoms, and avoid relapsing on cigarettes.
The Downside of E Cigarettes
If you are a savvy consumer, both positive and negative aspects of the the product you are considering should be scrutinized before you purchase it. The e cigarette is no exception. Take a look at what some of the research says about the negative aspects of the e cigarette
- A 2010 research paper published in Tobacco Control suggests that the e cigarette lacks important regulatory factors, such as essential health warnings, proper labeling, clear instructions on how to use them, and safe disposal methods. The authors of the study also found that some of the e cigarette cartridges leaked, which could cause toxic exposure to nicotine.
- A study published in the December 2011 issue of CHEST found that the e cigarette caused acute pulmonary effects after smoking it for only five minutes, although study authors pointed out that these effects may not be of clinical significance. During the study, 40 healthy non smokers (30 experimental/10 control) were asked to smoke the e cigarette ad lib for five minutes. The experimental group used the e cigarette with the nicotine cartridge in place, while the control group smoked it with the nicotine cartridge removed.
After five minutes, lung function was assessed using a variety of tests. Results showed that smoking the device for just five minutes caused an increase in impedance, peripheral airway flow resistance, and oxidative stress in the lungs of healthy smokers (smokers who are not diagnosed with lung disease or chronic health conditions.) They also pointed out that the study only measured results from smoking the e cigarette for five minutes because the average consumer is likely to smoke the e cigarette many times a day, this might increase the risks. However, the authors suggested that it is possible that if the e cigarette were used as a short term bridge to smoking cessation, the benefits might outweigh the risks.
- On their website, the FDA states that states that “E cigarettes may contain ingredients that are known to be toxic to humans, and may contain other ingredients that may not be safe.” They also suggest that because e cigarette manufacturers are not required to submit clinical study data to them, the public has no way of knowing “whether e cigarettes are safe for their intended use, what types or concentrations of potentially harmful chemicals are found in these products, or how much nicotine they are inhaling when they use these products.” The FDA is also concerned that the marketing efforts of e cigarettes may increase addiction to nicotine, especially in young people, encouraging them to experiment with real tobacco products.
The Best Way To Quit Smoking
How you choose to quit smoking is a matter of personal choice. The best method is the one that works for you. With this in mind, doing whatever it takes to be successful and safe is how many people ultimately approach it.
Consult your health care provider about different stop smoking aids, including nicotine replacement therapy, quit smoking medications such as Clonidine and Wellbutrin, quit smoking support groups, and educational materials.
If you decide to try the e cigarette, be sure to discuss this with your doctor and do your homework. Understand the pros, cons, and safety concerns, and then make an informed decision. The most important thing to remember is, no matter how you do it, you are making the best decision of your life when you finally decide to quit smoking, especially if you have COPD.
If you’re interested in purchasing an e cigarette starter kit, compare prices here.
Sources
Etter JF, Bullen C. Electronic cigarette users profile, utilization, satisfaction and perceived efficacy. Addiction. 2011 Nov 106(11) 2017 28. Epub 2011 Jul 27.
Bullen C, McRobbie H, Thornley S, Glover M, Lin R, Laugesen M. Effect of an electronic nicotine delivery device (e cigarette) on desire to smoke and withdrawal, user preferences and nicotine delivery randomised cross over trial. Tob Control. 2010 Apr 19(2) 98 103.
Caponnetto P, Polosa R, Russo C, Leotta C, Campagna D. J. Successful smoking cessation with electronic cigarettes in smokers with a documented history of recurring relapses a case series. Med Case Reports. 2011 Dec 20 5(1) 585.
Evangelopoulou, Gregory N. Connolly and Panagiotis K. Behrakis Constantine I. Vardavas, Nektarios Anagnostopoulos, Marios Kougias, Vassiliki. Acute pulmonary effects of using an e cigarette impa
ct on respiratory flow resistance, impedance and exhaled nitric oxide. Chest Prepublished online December 22, 2011.
Fagerströ m KO, Hughes JR, Rasmussen T, Callas PW. Randomized trial investigating effect of a novel nicotine delivery device (Eclipse) and a nicotine oral inhaler on smoking behavior, nicotine and carbon monoxide exposure, and motivation to quit. Tob Control. 2000 Sep 9(3) 327 33.
Fagerströ m KO, Hughes JR, Callas PW. Long term effects of the Eclipse cigarette substitute and the nicotine inhaler in smokers not interested in quitting. Nicotine Tob Res. 2002 4 Suppl 2 S141 5.
Food and Drug Administration News and Events Public Health Focus. Accessed 1/24/2011.
Anna Trtchounian and Prue Talbot. Electronic nicotine delivery systems is there a need for regulation? Tob Control published online December 7, 2010.
Cigarette smoking for weight loss – wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dirt cheap cigarettes beer & liquor – saint louis, mo
Though smoking is widely discouraged by public health professionals for its countless negative health consequences, nicotine has been demonstrated to be an appetite suppressant. Nicotine reduces appetite and can influence an individual s eating habits. A study on nicotine s effects on appetite demonstrated that net effects of nicotine include elevated blood pressure, heart rate, and gastric motility while eliciting a sustained decrease in food intake. Autonomic, sensory, and enteric neurons each constitute potentially important loci for nicotine mediated changes in feeding behavior. 2 Thus the cultural associations between smoking and weight control in part reflect the body s physiological reactions to nicotine.
Nicotine gum has similar effects to cigarettes in terms of appetite suppression, and there are some people who do not smoke, but use nicotine gum for the purpose of weight control or weight loss.
Nicotine can also lower insulin levels in a person s bloodstream, which can reduce cravings for sugary foods. 3 Furthermore, nicotine triggered effects of adrenaline on the stomach s musculature lead to temporary feelings of subsided hunger. 4 Other studies have shown that smokers expend more calories while engaged in activity, which echo conclusions that smokers experience heightened metabolic rates. 5 Also worth noting are the diuretic properties of nicotine, which causes lower calcium levels in the blood.
There is controversy concerning whether smokers are actually thinner than nonsmokers. Some studies have shown that smokers including long term and current smokers weigh less than nonsmokers, and gain less weight over time. 6 Conversely, certain longitudinal studies have not shown correlation between weight loss and smoking at least among young persons. 7 Accordingly, while the connection between nicotine and appetite suppression, as well as other physiological responses to nicotine consumption, has been established, whether these chemical and biological reactions translate to smokers being thinner than nonsmokers (at least concerning certain age groups), is still debated. Age may act as a compounding factor in some of these studies. Essentially, a causal relationship has not been explicitly established between physiological effects of nicotine and epidemiological findings about weight among smokers and nonsmokers.
Smoking and perceptions of weight control among adolescents edit
While most adults do not smoke for weight control, 8 studies have shown that associations between tobacco use, being thin and desire for weight control do influence adolescents in terms of smoking behavior. Research demonstrates that adolescent girls that strongly value being thin are more likely to initiate smoking. 9 Additionally, girls already engaged in risky behavior for weight control are at increased odds to begin smoking as well. 10
Further research needs to examine trends in ethnicity concerning women and smoking for weight control. So far, studies have shown that young white women may be more prone to use cigarettes to manage their weight. Advertisements for particular brands and types of cigarettes seem target this demographic accordingly.
Several studies have been conducted over the past decade examining this issue in depth. 11 12 13 14 While it has generally been found that white females are more apt to smoke to lose weight, one study found that smoking to lose or control weight is not limited to white females, but is prevalent across racial and gender boundaries. 15 Within all racial groups, it was found that weight concerns and negative body perceptions were a significant factor in an adolescent’s decision to smoke. However, it should be noted that the relationship between weight and smoking amongst young men was only statistically significant in white or mixed race groups.
In the past, studies have shown that adolescent girls do consider weight loss or weight control to be one of the positive values of smoking. Overall, young women and girls concerned about weight control, particularly those already using unhealthy weight control techniques, are at a higher risk of smoking. 16
History of cigarette smoking for weight loss in advertising edit
It was not always socially acceptable for women to smoke cigarettes or use tobacco in public. However, over the course of about fifty years, the tobacco industry would change societal attitudes through the conduits of advertising and public relations, transforming tobacco use into a desirable pastime for female consumer in both the United States and abroad.
Pre 1920s edit
Prior to the 1920s, smoking was largely a male pastime and was thought of as a taboo act for women to participate in. During the 19th century, smoking and cigarettes were commonly associated with loose morals and sexual promiscuity. 17 A common prop in Victorian erotic pornography, cigarettes even came to be thought of as an occupational prop of prostitutes and sex workers. Even into the early 20th century, women faced possible arrest if they were caught smoking in public.
1920 1968 edit
During the first decade of the twentieth century, women would begin experience upward socioeconomic mobility with the American women s rights movement as they gained new civil liberties. By the outbreak of World War I, as they experienced growing responsibility and freedom on the home front, an increasing number of women were using cigarettes as a tool to challenge traditional ideas about female behavior. However, it would ultimately be the tobacco industry s powerful marketing influence that would turn the cigarette from a social liability into an accepted and desirable commodity for women to openly indulge in. However, many question whether or not the cigarette would have become so ubiquitous among women if the tobacco industry had not seized on the liberating social climate of the 1920s and 30s to exploit the ideas of emancipation and power in order to recruit the untapped female market. 18
Targeting women’s waistlines edit
The President of the American Tobacco Company, Percival Hill, was one of the first tobacco executives to seek out the women s market. Noting the 1920s penchant for bobbed hair cuts, short skirts and slender figures, Mr. Hill saw the potential in selling cigarettes as an appetite suppressant so that women could achieve the decade s enviably small waistlines. 18
“Reach for a Lucky” edit
Created by Albert Lasker for Mr. Hill and Lucky Strike, the Reach for a Lucky campaign is one of the most successful, albeit controversial advertising campaigns in the history of modern advertising. 19 Inspired by other campaigns that offered male consumers a reason why they should smoke a given brand (i.e. the Lucky Strike It s Toasted campaign), Lasker sought to give the female market a reason to smoke as well.
Borrowing from the 19th century slogan of Lydia Pinkham s Vegetable Compound, Reach for a Vegetable, that was marketed towards women for the alleviation of menstrual discomfort, Lasker and Lucky Strike launched the Reach for a Lucky Instead of a Sweet campaign in 1925, followed by For a Slender Figure Reach for a Lucky Instead of a Sweet in 1928. 20 The print advertisement was disseminated by Edward Bernays throughout the fashion industry in numerous fashion magazines and daily newspapers featuring slender Parisian models and proclaiming the dangers of sugar consumption. 21 Famously, Amelia Earhart would also serve as a spokeswoman for the Reach for a Lucky campaign.
Early on, the print advertisements simply featured an attractive woman with any of the variations of the slogan above or underneath her, accompanied by a rendering of the Lucky Strike Box. Later, the advertisements would make a more pointed statement about weight gain, featuring either a man or a woman in profile view with his or her noticeably fatter shadow silhouette behind. While these early advertisements would focus on both men and women, later variations would target women specifically.
In The Cigarette Century, Allen Brandt explains that the campaign was re
volutionary in its pointed targeting of female consumers as well as in its aggressive marketing strategy that positioned it in direct opposition with candy manufacturers. 22 Shortly after the campaign was released, the National Confectioners Association fired back at Lucky Strike, threatening legal action and publishing anti cigarette literature that asserted the importance of candy in a balanced, healthy diet. 23 The dispute between Lucky Strike and the National Confectioners Association ultimately drew the attention of the Federal Trade Commission who ordered Lucky Strike to relinquish all dietary claims for Luckies in its advertising. 23
Importantly, this campaign would serve to create a significant association between cigarettes and the feminine values of style, beauty and slimness. Moreover, Allen Brandt writes that the campaign ultimately promoted a product and a behavior that possessed specific and appealing social meanings of glamour, beauty, autonomy, and equality that would come to be synonymous in future cigarette advertising campaigns targeting female consumers. 24 Lucky Strike s message was highly effective, raising the company s market share by more than 200% and making it the most profitable cigarette brand for two years running. 18
“Torches of Freedom” edit
After the Reach for a Lucky Campaign, Lucky Strike sought to forever change smoking taboos by encouraging women to smoke openly in public. In an infamous publicity stunt, Edward Bernays hired several young, attractive women to march in the Easter Sunday parade in New York brandishing their torches of freedom their Lucky Strike cigarettes. While this campaign did not market cigarettes as weight loss devices, it set the precedent for the new trends in niche marketing that would come to shape the future ways in which the industry would posit new types of cigarettes as weight loss aids. Moreover, it would forever change the public s thoughts on women smoking, transforming the act from a transgressive one into a normalized feminine behavior.
1968 present edit
In 1964, the Surgeon General of the United States released the Surgeon General s Advisory Committee Report on Smoking and Health. This report lead to the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act in 1965, which would mandate that all cigarette packs display warning labels and would change the ways that the tobacco industry would reach consumers via advertising. In April 1964, with Federal Trade Commission statutes pending, the tobacco industry would take on a program of self regulation in its advertising. This program would become known as the Cigarette Advertising Code, and as Allen Brandt explains, the program
promised to ban all cigarette advertising aimed at those under twenty one to ban all unproven health claims and to ban the virility theme. It also assured that models under twenty five years of age would not be used in tobacco ads, nor would testimonials by entertainers or athletes be allowed. Finally, the code prohibited ads depicting smoking as essential to social prominence, distinction, success or sexual attraction.’ 25
With these regulations in place, the tobacco industry could no longer directly market cigarettes to women as weight loss aids like they had in the past. Rather, they would come to rely upon more subversive forms of marketing to target women s concerns with weight management.
Virginia Slims edit
In 1968, shortly after the enactment of the Cigarette Advertising Code, Philip Morris introduced a new brand of cigarettes called Virginia Slims. Following in the footsteps of Lucky Strike, Virginia Slims were marketed specifically to young, affluent, and independent women with the tagline created by the advertising agency, Leo Burnett, You ve Come a Long Way Baby, referencing the history of women s liberation. With a colorful, pastel package and female oriented print advertising featuring beautiful and elegant women, Philip Morris sought to create a cigarette that embodied women s concerns with glamour, style and body image. Moreover, the brand created rift in the market that differentiated between men s and women s cigarettes.
But perhaps most importantly, Virginia Slims appeal to women s ideals about slimness in their name Virginia Slims a key value that was not lost on consumers. In The Cigarette Century, Allen Brandt recounts United States Supreme Court case Cipollone v. Liggett Group, Inc., in which habitual tobacco user, Rose Cipollone, filed suit against Liggett and Myers, Lorillard and Philip Morris in five separate tort cases, citing their cigarettes as the cause of her cancer. 26 During her deposition, Cipollone recounted her smoking history, noting that she switched to Virginia Slims in 1968 because female centered marking appealed to her. Brandt writes that Cipollone described the cigarettes as the first cigarette for women only designed slimmer for a woman s slimmer hands and lips and packed in a slim purse pack. 27
While Federal Trade Commission regulations prohibited brands from claiming any health benefits like weight loss, Virginia Slims appeal to women s concerns with aesthetic slimness with their elongated shape and narrow circumference. While traditional cigarettes are 84mm in length, Virginia Slims come in both 100 and 120mm lengths that give the cigarette a more dainty or elegant appearance. Moreover, with a 23mm circumference, slim cigarettes are said to produce less smoke than traditional cigarettes.
Virginia Slims and athleticism edit
Cigarettes have a long tradition of being coupled with athletics, health and fitness. As early as the mid to late 19th century, Bull Durham cigarettes were the official sponsors of professional baseball, horse racing and golf, and by the 1950s, Camel commonly used sports imagery in their print advertisements.
Thus, it was not unheard of when Virginia Slims sponsored the Women’s Tennis Association in 1970, then known as the Virginia Slims Circuit . With this prominent sponsorship came a whole slew of advertisements that featured tennis greats like Billie Jean King and Rosemary Casals alongside the Virginia Slims logo.
Other Virginia Slims advertisements feature slender women in varying states of activity (dancing, running, ice skating, etc.) thus promoting a general attitude of health and fitness.
New gender issues edit
A new area of study examines the ways in which tobacco companies are targeting the gay community through advertising. 28 Like early niche advertisements that appealed to female consumers, gay tobacco advertisements draw on themes of virility and body image, although it is unclear if gay men tend to smoke to control weight. While the tobacco industry s marketing of the gay community is legal, many within the community have expressed disapproval of the industry s pointed tactics. 29
Smoking cessation edit
Weight gain as a side effect of smoking cessation remains a major aspect of smoking and weight control. People can be discouraged by weight gain experienced while quitting smoking. Weight gain is a common experience during smoking cessation, with roughly 75% of smokers gaining weight after quitting. 30 As nicotine is an appetite suppressant and smokers expend more energy, weight gain due to smoking cessation is generally attributed to increased caloric intake and a slowed metabolic rate.
Weight gain can be a deterrent in the smoking cessation process, even if many smokers did not smoke for weight control purposes. 31 Those in the process of quitting smoking are recommended to follow a healthy diet and to exercise regularly. 32 Most quitting advice encourages people to not be discouraged should they experience weight gain while quitting smoking, as the health benefits of quitting almost always exceed the costs of weight gain. Studies have shown that weight gain during the smoking cessation process can often be lost eventually through diet and exercise.
Conclusions edit
Some studies show that smokers do generally weigh less than nonsmokers, with other research proving that nicotine increases metabolic rate and s
uppresses appetite. However, the health costs of smoking cigarettes vastly outweigh this benefit of smoking. citation needed
As weight related advertising has generally focused on women, research has shown that young women are particularly an at risk population for smoking for weight control purposes, and more research needs to focus on gender and ethnic trends concerning adolescents and smoking, although tobacco companies are starting to aim advertisements at the gay community.
However, the reasons for which people smoke are ostensibly complex, and can rarely be attributed to just a desire to control or reduce body weight. That said, the legacy of the association between being thin and smoking has nevertheless impacted 20th century culture in countless ways.
References edit