E-Cigarettes Cause Teens to Keep the Smoking Habit

You would think that new, creative ways to convince people to give up smoking cigarettes would be praised. However, electronic cigarette use has been viewed as an "aggravating" habit rather than a beneficial one.

One of the more poplar brands of e-cigarettes is the "Blu eCig". This product, along with various others, is not a tobacco product. When inhaled, these e-cigarettes produce an odorless vapor that dissolves within seconds. They have been growing in popularity because they have helped reduce the poor habits of smokers. In addition, they're permitted in places where smoking is prohibited.

Yet study published today in the journal JAMA Pediatrics reveals that e-cigarettes may not be such a boon, after all. Researchers found that teenagers who used e-cigarettes were less likely to quit smoking, and half of those studied were smokers in addition to using the e-cigarette. In fact, the researchers observed the increasing use of electronic cigarettes among teens.

The study's surprising findings could be a result of the presence of nicotine in the e-cigarettes. The electronic products vaporize nicotine, which is the addictive substance found in traditional cigarettes. If the teens, or any cigarette smoker for that matter, are inhaling vaporize nicotine, then they're likely to continue to be addicted to nicotine.

Additionally, research has shown that nicotine may have negative permanent effects in regards to attention and memory. Nicotine has been widely known to change the "reward system" in our brain that manages our desires, pleasure, and emotions. Past studies have argued that neural insulation isn't complete until the mid-20s, which means that teens could be seriously affected by these products.

The aggressively marketed e-cigarettes have only been growing in popularity over the past few years and they could further contribute to nicotine addiction. However, newer e-cigarettes have been developed in which you can purchase "virgin" or "non-nicotine" fluid.

To read more about this study, e-cigarettes, and nicotine addictions, visit this Live Science article.