SWITCHING to vaping is successful in helping heavy users, another new study has shown.

New research presented at the nicotine and tobacco research conference, SRNT in Munich, showed yet again - that e-cigarettes are helping those who are addicted to smoking tobacco.

Senior Lecturer Alexis Bailey presented preliminary results to industry experts from his observational study, SmokeFreeBrain, which looked at the effect that switching from smoking to vaping for 28 days, had on heavy smokers.

The team measured several parameters including psychometric, cardiovascular, quality of life, brain activity and bio-markers of toxicity.

Findings from the 31 subjects who completed the study showed subtle but significant changes in psychometric parameters and a considerable reduction in bio-markers of toxicity.

Switching from cigarettes to e-cigarettes also reduced the craving to smoke and affected brain regions associated with addiction. Exposure to nicotine was also significantly reduced and prominent harm reduction was demonstrated by following switching to e-cigarettes.

Dr. Bailey said of the study: "Our preliminary findings support electronic cigarettes as an effective way of stopping smoking, quickly inducing beneficial changes in various measures of psychometric health and the craving to smoke.

Smoking rates are falling in western countries, including the United States and the UK, but cigarettes continue to be the leading cause of preventable death.

When tobacco users stop smoking, the associated health risks start diminishing, with scientists agreeing the longer the period of abstinence, the better the health outcome for each former smoker.

Landmark research from Public Health England (PHE) and the UK-based Royal College of Physicians earlier this year showed that e-cigarettes are around 95% safer than cigarettes.

PHE has recently re-stated this position, saying that e-cigarettes represent a fraction of the harm of cigarettes and arguing that smokers should be encouraged to switch to e-cigarettes.

The news comes a month after new research published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health showed that smoking rates can be brought down further with the free provision of electronic cigarettes.

Researchers in Glasgow, Scotland found that giving tobacco users e-cigarettes helped them smoke fewer cigarettes and have more smoke-free days each month.

The 90-day trial also resulted in 37% of the 72 adult smokers involved in the study abstaining from cigarettes completely.

Professor Neil McKeganey, Director of Centre for Substance Use Research (CSUR), which conducted the study, said: Our data show that it is possible to facilitate significant behavioural change on the part of smokers as a result of providing them with access to high quality e-cigarette products, at least for a short period of time.