Vaping has an immediate effect on how the user’s blood vessels work, even if the e-cigarette contains no nicotine, according to new research cited by CNN.
The research – which was not published in a peer-reviewed journal but is being presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America in Chicago – showed that using an e-cigarette with or without nicotine decreased venous oxygen saturation , which can mean that the person’s lungs absorb less oxygen.
More research will be needed to corroborate the results and study long-term effects. But scientists say these results could mean that regular vaping could lead to vascular disease down the road.
“People mistakenly believe that e-cigarettes are safer alternatives”
“People mistakenly believe that e-cigarettes are safer alternatives to tobacco-based cigarettes, but this is actually not true,” he said. dr. Marianne Nabboutthe study’s lead author and radiology resident at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, who conducted the research at the University of Pennsylvania.
Although e-cigarette aerosols do not have the same carcinogenic contaminants as tobacco smoke, people still breathe in chemicals when they vape, and this study shows that it has an effect on the body.
E-cigarettes work by heating a liquid that turns into a vapor that is inhaled by the user. But vapor contains more than just water; depending on the device, they may also include substances such as lead, nickel, formaldehyde, propylene glycol, and glycerin.
What happens to the bodies of cigarette smokers?
“Even if there is no nicotine in the e-cigarette, there could be other components that could be harmful,” Nabbout said. “That’s why I think we saw these significant effects, even when subjects weren’t choosing the nicotine-based e-cigarette.”
Nabbout and his colleagues looked at what happens to the bodies of cigarette smokers, those who use e-cigarettes and those who have used nicotine-free products. They enrolled 31 smokers and vapers between the ages of 21 and 49, comparing their results to 10 non-smokers or non-vapers.
Each participant underwent an MRI scan before and after vaping or smoking, or at each non-smoking visit. The researchers also placed a cuff on each person’s upper thigh to restrict blood flow; after the cuff was deflated, they assessed the speed of blood flow in the femoral artery and measured the amount of oxygen in the blood returning to the heart after it had delivered oxygen to the body’s tissues.
Good vascular function is important
Every time someone vaped or smoked, the researchers observed a significant decrease in the velocity of resting blood flow in the femoral artery, which runs along the thigh and supplies oxygenated blood to the entire lower body.
Compared to non-smokers and cigarette smokers, nicotine vapers had the most significant reduction in vascular function. The next group with the biggest change was those who vaped without nicotine.
Good vascular function is important because it means that a person’s blood vessels are able to dilate and contract so that blood can circulate efficiently, delivering oxygen and nutrients to the body and removing waste. Poor vascular function could lead to problems such as blood clots, high blood pressure, and stroke.
The lungs absorbed less oxygen
The research also showed that all people who smoked – with or without nicotine – had low oxygen saturation, meaning their lungs were likely absorbing less oxygen.
Nabbout said the purpose of the study is to help regulators make decisions about which of these products should remain on the market in the United States.
E-cigarettes have been on the market for years without regulation, but to stay there, companies need approval from the US Food and Drug Administration, which reviews millions of product applications.
Both vaping with nicotine and without nicotine had an effect
Some doctors used to recommend e-cigarettes to help people quit smoking, and manufacturers presented this argument to the FDA, but studies have shown that e-cigarettes do not help people quit smoking.
The FDA has cleared a few vaping products, but none are specifically approved as a harm reduction device.
Dr. Albert Rizzo, chief medical officer of the American Lung Association, says the new research adds to the growing body of evidence showing that vaping exposes people to much more than just harmless water vapor.
“We don’t know much about the effects of the ingredients in e-cigarettes in terms of the effects on our lungs, the effects on our blood vessels, and even though there are supposed to be fewer toxins than a regular cigarette, we don’t know what the long-term effects of these ways. Tests like these continue to show that there are short-term effects,” said Rizzo, who was not involved in the new study.
Vaping significantly affects vascular health
Rizzo said he found it interesting that both nicotine and nicotine-free vaping had an effect.
“This tells us that something in these ingredients is probably causing the irritation of the airways that leads to inflammation, and the inflammation spreads to the rest of the body in the same way that we know particulate pollution does,” he said.
Research shows that exposure to air pollution, known as particulate pollution, can lead to a higher incidence of heart attacks and other significant health problems. If vaping significantly affects one’s vascular health, e-cigarette users could then experience an increase in heart attacks, strokes or blood flow problems, Rizzo said.
“At the Lung Association, we certainly don’t want young people who are attracted to the different flavors that are on the market to start using them,” Rizzo said.
Source: www.descopera.ro
