Thinking of quitting smoking? Using e-cigarettes may be a safe health tool, according to a new study published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.

Researchers found fewer cancer-causing substances in the body of people who switched from smoking regular cigarettes to e-cigarettes or nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), such as gum or patches, for at least six months.

Those who consumed e-cigarettes or NRT but didn’t completely quit smoking, however, did not have the same drop in toxin levels. “Switching to e-cigarettes can significantly reduce harm to smokers, with greatly reduced exposure to carcinogens and toxins,” Kevin Fenton, national director of health and wellbeing at the government authority Public Health England, said in a statement. “…[But] the benefit is only realized if people stop smoking completely and make a total switch. The best thing a smoker can do, for themselves and those around them, is to quit now, completely and forever.”

While many health experts tout e-cigarettes that don’t contain tobacco as a stop-smoking tool, others still question their long-term safety and worry that they may become a “gateway” to taking up conventional cigarettes, according to Huffington Post.

What’s more, new research shows that as many as a quarter of U.S. kids who are using e-cigarettes may be taking them apart and “dripping” — a method that gives them a potentially higher hit of nicotine. More research is needed, however, to determine if it’s more dangerous.

Going Beyond E-Cigarettes
Of course, there are many natural methods available to help you quit smoking. Perhaps the most effective and least inexpensive is exercise. Making physical activity part of your quit-smoking strategy can help ease the physical and psychological aspects of nicotine addiction by helping you to…

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