Mark Foster recently picked up electronic cigarettes - and says he's close to kicking his regular cigarette habit.

“Since I got to using these more powerful e-cigarettes, my cigarette consumption is 2%, you know of what it used to be.”

E-Cigarettes are battery powered devices that produce a vapor, some contain nicotine. New research out of London says smokers who use them may be more likely to reduce their smoking or quit all-together.

“The main finding is that the e-cigarettes more than double chances of stopping smoking,” says study author Peter Hajek.

The study looked at data on more than 650 current smokers. Researchers found nearly 10% of people who used e-cigarettes were able to stop smoking within a year. 36% of e-cigarette users cut the number of traditional cigarettes they smoked in half.

While the number of people using e-cigarettes has dramatically increased in recent years, experts say more study is needed on their long-term safety.

“We don't always know what chemicals are in electronic cigarettes. The problem is nobody is out there regulating the stuff,” says Dr. John Spangler, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

Mark says he's not surprised by the study.

“As a replacement for a cigarette, they've really, for me, they've taken over.”

Researchers caution the number of people they looked at is small and that more study is needed.