28.11.2024.
- Researchers used MRI scans to observe the immediate effects of smoking cigarettes and e-cigarettes on blood vessel function.
- After inhaling either type of cigarette, there was a noticeable slowdown in blood flow in a major thigh artery, with e-cigarette users showing a more significant decrease.
- Vapers also exhibited lower levels of oxygen in their veins, regardless of whether their e-cigarettes contained nicotine.
The study, presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America in Chicago, has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal. It revealed that
using an e-cigarette, whether or not it contained nicotine, reduced a measure known as venous oxygen saturation. This could suggest that the lungs are absorbing less oxygen.
According to the FDA, over 1.6 million middle and high school students are currently vaping. Teens find it surprisingly easy to purchase restricted e-cigarette devices online.
Further research is needed to confirm these findings and explore their long-term implications. However, scientists caution that regular vaping could potentially increase the risk of vascular disease over time.
E-cigarettes, also known as vapes, are battery-operated devices that heat a liquid to produce an aerosol, which is then inhaled into the lungs. Vapes contain significantly fewer chemicals and toxins than are found in tobacco smoke. As a result, e-cigarettes are believed by many to be less harmful than cigarette smoking. Vapes also come in various flavours, making them popular among young people.
“E-cigarettes have long been marketed as a safer alternative to regular tobacco smoking,” said study lead author Marianne Nabbout, M.D., a radiology resident at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock.
“Some believe that e-cigarettes don’t contain any of the harmful products, such as free radicals, found in regular tobacco cigarettes because no combustion is involved.”
While vaping exposes users to fewer toxic chemicals than cigarettes, it can still be detrimental to vascular function and overall health.
In the study conducted at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Nabbout and colleagues sought to identify the acute effects on vascular function of cigarette smoking and the immediate effects of e-cigarette vaping, with and without nicotine.
A total of 31 healthy smokers and vapers ranging in age from 21 to 49 years have been included to date. In three separate sessions, study participants underwent two MRI exams, one before and one after each of the following smoking/vaping episodes: tobacco cigarette, e-cigarette aerosol with nicotine and e-cigarette aerosol without nicotine.
The data of the smokers and vapers was then compared to the baseline scans of 10 non-smokers and non-vapers ranging from 21 to 33 years old.
Following inhalation of each type of vaping or smoking, there was a significant decrease in the resting blood flow velocity in the superficial femoral artery. This artery runs along the thigh and supplies oxygenated blood to the entire lower body.
The decrease in vascular function was most pronounced after inhalation of e-cigarettes containing nicotine, followed by e-cigarettes without nicotine.
Decreased venous oxygen saturation was also present in vapers, whether or not the e-cigarettes contained nicotine. This suggests an immediate decrease in the uptake of oxygen by the lungs after vaping.
“This study serves to highlight the acute effects smoking and vaping can have on a multitude of vascular beds in the human body,” Dr. Nabbout said.
“If the acute consumption of an e-cigarette can have an effect that is immediately manifested at the level of the vessels, it is conceivable that the chronic use can cause vascular disease.”
According to Dr. Nabbout, the take-home message for the public is that vaping may not be free of harm.
“Ultimately, we are relying on science to help guide the regulation of such products in favour of public health,” she said. “Refraining from smoking and vaping is always recommended.”
