Smoke without fire

Electronic cigarettes may not help people quit smoking, a new study suggests. But experts say broader research is key, Andrew M. Seaman reports in New York.

A small US study raises new questions about whether using electronic cigarettes will lead people to quit smoking, adding to the debate over how tightly the products should be regulated.

The study, which looked at the habits of 88 smokers who also used e-cigarettes, was published as a research letter in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine on Monday. It found that smokers who also used e-cigarettes were no more likely to quit smoking after a year, compared to smokers who did not use the devices.