The latest medical research by the United Kingdom's Department of Health and Social Care has revealed that vaping is indeed a healthier and safer alternative to smoking.
According to the UK-DHSC's findings, vaping has a lower chance of causing cancer and other ailments related to the heart and lungs. That said, the Department also recommended vaping as a therapeutic tool to help smokers gradually quit the habit.
The study also revealed that smokers who used vaping to wean themselves from nicotine-based products (cigarettes and tobacco) have a 64.9 percent success rate — a much better number compared to the 58.6 percent success rate of those who tried to quit "cold turkey".
In the Philippines, Dr. Francis Buendia, MD, concurred with the UK study, and believes that it can also apply to the Filipino smoking population.
"Nicotine addiction is a problem that plagues at least 20 percent of Filipino adults," he said. "And quitting is a major challenge because it develops dependency, especially to those who see it as stress relief."
According to statistics from Macrotrends.net, over 25 million adult Filipinos are active smokers. Data from the Philippines's Department of Health also showed that 87,600 Filipinos die annually because of health complications from smoking.
"When persuading people to stop something as addictive and harmful as smoking, one way of getting people off it is by giving an alternative. This alternative should be able to minimize the risks while slowly weaning them away from the habit," said Buendia.
"Vaping can help you. It's a healthier alternative that will ultimately lead to a smoke-free life if not abused," he added.
For further information on the study of vaping, visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nicotine-vaping-in-england-2022-evidence-update/nicotine-vaping-in-england-2022-evidence-update-main-findings