Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — A recent study from South Korea reveals that heated tobacco might help smokers quit cigarettes and reduce health risks.

Titled “To Heat or Burn?”, the study examines what motivates smokers to switch from traditional cigarettes to smoke-free alternatives, including heated tobacco systems.

Researchers surveyed nearly 5,000 adults in Korea—2,356 non-smokers and 2,158 smokers. Among the smokers, 1,316 used regular cigarettes, and 842 used heated tobacco systems.

One key finding is that almost all surveyed smokers started smoking before heated tobacco systems were available—90.4% of respondents. This suggests that most current users of smoke-free alternatives transitioned from traditional cigarettes, according to the study authors.

This is supported by the 2021 Korean National Health and Nutrition Survey (KNHANES), which indicates that 99.4% of heated tobacco users switched from regular cigarettes, with only 0.6% being new users.

In a previous South Korean survey, 68.8% of respondents cited reduced odor as a reason for choosing smoke-free alternatives, while 36% said that heated tobacco systems helped them quit smoking.

It is established that the primary harm of regular cigarettes is not nicotine, which causes addiction, but the harmful substances released with each puff of tobacco smoke. Smoke-free alternatives, like heated tobacco systems, produce an aerosol containing 95% fewer harmful substances compared to tobacco smoke. This reduction in harmful substances is a major reason why smokers choose smoke-free alternatives.

Researchers also found that many smokers switch from regular cigarettes to heated tobacco systems as part of their effort to quit smoking. Smokers concerned about health risks or sensitive to tobacco smoke odor are more likely to become non-smokers or choose heated tobacco systems as an alternative. The study found no evidence that heated tobacco attracts new smokers who previously did not smoke.

The authors of the South Korean report believe that smoke-free alternatives can be part of a public health strategy to reduce tobacco consumption.