USING an e-cigarette is about 95 per cent less harmful than smoking tobacco, according to new research.

However, the data, from a report commissioned by Public Health England, also showed almost half of the population was in the dark about the benefits of using an e-cigarette.

The report further suggests e-cigarettes may also be contributing to smoking rates falling among adults and young people, while finding no evidence they acted as a route into smoking for children or non-smokers.

In article mpu The review found that almost all of the 2.6 million adults using e-cigarettes in the country are current or ex-smokers, most of whom are using the devices to help quit smoking or prevent them going back to cigarettes.

Professor Kevin Fenton, the director of health and wellbeing at PHE, said: “Smoking remains England’s number one killer and the best thing a smoker can do is to quit completely, now and forever.

“E-cigarettes are not completely risk free but when compared to smoking, evidence shows they carry just a fraction of the harm.

“The problem is people increasingly think they are at least as harmful and this may be keeping millions of smokers from quitting.

"Local stop smoking services should look to support e-cigarette users in their journey to quitting completely.”

Share article Kicker Emerging evidence suggests some of the highest successful quit rates are now seen among smokers who use an e-cigarette and also receive additional support from their local stop smoking services.

Professor Peter Hajek, of Queen Mary University, London, an independent author of the review said: “My reading of the evidence is that smokers who switch to vaping remove almost all the risks smoking poses to their health.”

  • Heavy smoking may lead to a fatter stomach, new research suggests.

While many smokers cite fear of weight gain as a reason for not giving up, scientists have found they are more likely to develop pot bellies than non-smokers.

Scientists at the University of Glasgow found that while smoking might be associated with lower overall weight, it tends to push fat into central areas resulting in a bigger stomach - an unhealthy apple shape, rather than a healthy pear shape.

In their study, the researchers analysed 29 studies involving almost 150,000 participants containing data on their smoking habits, weight and waist circumference.

The analysis revealed a genetic variation in some smokers which was associated with an increase in the number of cigarettes consumed and a lower mean body mass index (BMI), suggesting that heavier smoking leads to lower BMI.

However the data, published in the BMJ Open journal, also showed that while overall BMI in heavy smokers was lower, waist circumference was higher than non-smokers once BMI was accounted for.

Professor Naveed Sattar, of the Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences who co-led the study, said: "One barrier to smoking cessation is the fear of weight gain and whilst smoking lessens weight overall, it tends to push fat more into the central area so waist circumference is preferentially higher.

"So, when smokers put on weight, they will show bigger tummies for same weight gain than non-smokers and this may also be linked to their greater risk for diabetes."