Turns out, e-cigarettes can help smokers kick the butt

Smokers rejoice! As a recent study suggests that your plan to kick the cigarette addiction by turning to the electronic version of butts won't go up in smoke.

The research found no evidence that a commercially available e-cigarette vapor promotes the development of cancer in laboratory cells.

In contrast, smoke from a reference cigarette was positive for cancer-promoting activity at very low concentrations.

The findings suggest that e-cigarettes may provide a safer alternative to traditional cigarettes.

"This is the first time this particular test, the Bhas 42 assay, has been used to compare tobacco and nicotine products," said lead author Damien Breheny.

"It is one of a series of tests being developed and refined by British American Tobacco to compare the relative biological effects of e-cigarettes and tobacco-heating products with conventional cigarettes," noted Breheny.

The study appears in the journal Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis.