Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39999998›Full record

SynthesisAddiction (Abingdon, England)2025

The impacts of e-cigarette flavours: An overview of systematic reviews.

Jonathan Livingstone-Banks, Nargiz Travis, Monserrat Conde, Yixian Crystal Chen, Padmo Zi, Holly Jarman, Nicola Lindson, Jamie Hartmann-Boyce

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Addiction (Abingdon, England), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Toxicity and Appeal of Flavoured E-Cigarettes and Flavour Ban Outcomes: A Narrative Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026
    Review
  3. Reduced-nicotine cigarettes for smoking cessation and reduction.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2026
    Article
  4. Electronic cigarettes: isolated and combined use among Brazilian adolescents in PeNSE 2019.Revista brasileira de epidemiologia = Brazilian journal of epidemiology · 2026
    Article
  5. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Jonathan Livingstone-BanksNuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3757-5591
Nargiz TravisLombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown Medical University, Washington, D.C., USA.
Monserrat CondeNuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9669-9180
Yixian Crystal ChenDepartment of Integrative Oncology, British Columbia Cancer Research Institute, Vancouver, Canada.
Padmo ZiDepartment of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Holly JarmanDepartment of Health Management and Policy, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Nicola LindsonNuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2539-9268
Jamie Hartmann-BoyceNuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, UK.

Funding

Research Project 3: Modeling the Impact of Tobacco Control Policies on Polytobacco Use and Associated Health DisparitiesU54CA229974 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · PI Abigail S. Friedman · 2018 to 2026
$39.2M
National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of HealthNCI NIH HHS U54 CA229974United States Food and Drug Administration Center for Tobacco Products 2U54CA229974
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND

aimsE-cigarette flavours have the potential to impact the appeal, harms and use of e-cigarettes and combustible tobacco. Systematic reviews have synthesised evidence on their impacts but have always focused on specific outcomes or populations. This overview aimed to draw together syntheses from past systematic reviews of e-cigarette flavours to provide a holistic, population-wide view.

methodsOverview of systematic reviews investigating the impacts of e-cigarette flavours on any outcome. We searched six databases to February 2024, and appraised reviews using AMSTAR2. We used association direction plots and narratively synthesised results.

resultsWe included 32 reviews (11 higher quality; 21 lower). Reviews reported impacts of e-cigarette flavours on: appeal/perceptions of vaping (13 reviews); harms (12); smoking (7); and vaping (13) behaviours. Availability of non-tobacco e-cigarette flavours may increase the appeal of (8 reviews) and motivation to try/continue using e-cigarettes (5) and decrease harm perceptions (5). There were no clear differences in impacts based on age or history of combustible tobacco use, and little difference in findings between higher and lower quality reviews. Two reviews indicated that among adolescents, experimenting with different flavours increased e-cigarette appeal. Twelve reviews indicated that a range of specific flavours (including cinnamon, menthol and various sweet/fruity flavours) may be harmful; this often came from in vitro experiments and chemical analyses. Findings were inconclusive on the impact of e-cigarette flavours on smoking cessation (six reviews not showing clear impact), smoking initiation (two reviews not showing clear impact) and vaping initiation (two reviews showing increased initiation and two not showing clear impact).

conclusionsNon-tobacco flavourings for e-cigarettes may increase e-cigarette appeal and harms; this increase may vary by flavour and apply across different population groups. The impacts of e-cigarette flavours on e-cigarette and cigarette use are inconclusive.

Indexed as

Electronic Nicotine Delivery SystemsFlavoring AgentsVapingHumansSystematic Reviews as TopicFlavoring Agents

Identifiers

PMID39999998
PMCPMC12128567

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.