Review reveals three most effective ways to quit smoking

A comprehensive new evidence review by a team of scientists, including public health researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, has identified the three best strategies for quitting smoking:

• Varenicline—a prescription medication sold under the brand names Chantix and Champix.
• Cytisine—A plant-based compound that is not widely available in the United States but is sold as an over-the-counter natural health product (Cravv) in Canada and Central and Eastern Europe, and is available by prescription in the United Kingdom.
• Nicotine e-cigarettes.

The review was published in the journal on September 4 DependenceThe study was conducted by the nonprofit Cochrane Tobacco Dependence Group (CTAG) and was led by senior author Jamie Hartmann-Boyce, an assistant professor of health policy and management in the UMass Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences, and lead author Jonathan Livingstone-Banks, a researcher at the University of Oxford in England.

Smoking worldwide leading cause of preventable disease and deathThis condition causes more than seven million deaths each year.

“The best thing smokers can do for their health is to quit,” says Hartmann-Boyce, a Cochrane editor who conducted research at Oxford before joining UMass Amherst.

“However, many people find this difficult to do. Fortunately, there is strong evidence to support the use of a number of different ways to quit smoking.”

The review notes that the top three strategies for quitting work best when combined with behavioral support, such as counseling. Bupropion and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is also effective, especially when combined with fast-acting forms such as NRT patches and gum.

“The strongest evidence for behavioral support comes from programs that reward people for quitting smoking and counseling,” Hartmann-Boyce adds.

CTAG’s new summary outlines the key findings of 14 Cochrane reviews published by CTAG between 2021 and 2023. Three Cochrane reviews included in this summary are particularly notable:

• The updated Cochrane review of NRT for smoking cessation found high-certainty evidence that combining a fast-acting form of NRT (gum, lozenge, spray) with NRT patches helps more people to quit smoking than either form of NRT alone.
• The Cochrane review of the use of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation is a live, systematic review: review authors search for new studies monthly and update the review as new data becomes available. Last update It was concluded that there is high-certainty evidence that nicotine e-cigarettes increase quit rates compared to NRT and moderate-certainty evidence that they increase quit rates compared to nicotine-free e-cigarettes.
• The 2023 Cochrane review Pharmacological and e-cigarette interventions for smoking cessation included all medications licensed as treatments for smoking cessation anywhere in the world and e-cigarettes with or without nicotine. The review included 319 studies (157,179 participants). The most effective interventions were e-cigarettes with nicotine, varenicline and cytisine, all with high-certainty evidence, closely followed by the combination of NRT.
• The updated Cochrane review Open nicotine Regarding receptor partial agonists (varenicline and cytisine) for smoking cessation, studies directly comparing cytisine and varenicline found that there may be no difference between the two drugs in smoking cessation. The review included 75 trials.

“Our team will continue to review the evidence on the best ways to help people quit smoking smoke“We know how vital this is for smokers and for public health,” says Hartmann-Boyce.