Two-thirds to three-quarters of people who quit smoking did it without patches or other medication, according to a new report from the University of Syndey.

The result was based on a review of more than 500 other studies published between 2007 and 2008.

The authors of the new report also said that most ex-smokers said quitting tobacco was less difficult than they expected.

They said that companies that sell nicotine replacement products are trying to medicalize smoking cessation. Also, according to a news release on the new research, trials of nicotine replacements show a 51 percent success rate in industry-funded studies, but only 22 percent in studies with other funding.

The authors concluded that "public sector communicators should be encouraged to redress the overwhelming dominance of assisted cessation in public awareness, so that some balance can restored in smokers' minds regarding the contribution that assisted and unassisted smoking cessation approaches can make to helping them quit smoking."

The study was published in an open-access journal published by the Public Library of Science.