E-cigarettes are often advertised as a smoking cessation tool. The health effects they have, however, are so far only insufficiently known. Researchers have now found that “vaping” is just as bad for vascular health as conventional smoking. According to this, just 30 puffs on a nicotine-containing e-cigarette immediately lead to the formation of more blood clots, small blood vessels becoming less adaptable and increasing blood pressure and heart rate.
E-cigarettes are often considered a healthier alternative to traditional cigarettes. Because the “steamers” do not take the nicotine from the known carcinogenic tobacco smoke, but from a liquid that is heated and evaporated inside the e-cigarette. What effects this has on health, however, has only been partially researched. While some studies suggest that e-cigarettes are actually not quite as harmful as conventional cigarettes, others suggest that e-cigarettes are just as harmful to health as tobacco smoke, through various additives and the nicotine they contain.
Vaping with and without nicotine
A team led by Gustaf Lyytinen from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm has now analyzed how e-cigarettes with and without nicotine affect the cardiovascular system. The researchers presented their results at the international congress of the European Respiratory Society (ERS). “Our results indicate that the consumption of nicotine-containing e-cigarettes has similar effects on the body as smoking conventional cigarettes,” summarizes Lyytinen.
The researchers examined 22 occasional smokers between the ages of 18 and 45 who had no obvious health problems at the time of the study. The researchers asked their subjects to take 30 puffs from an e-cigarette with or without nicotine, with at least a week between the attempts with and without nicotine. Immediately before vaping and at fixed intervals afterwards, the researchers measured the test subjects’ blood pressure and heart rate, took blood samples and, using laser technology, measured how well the small blood vessels in the skin can expand and contract.
Immediate effects
The blood samples showed: “15 minutes after vaping nicotine, the formation of blood clots increased significantly,” said the researchers. They also observed that the subjects’ heart rate increased from an average of 66 beats per minute to an average of 73 beats per minute and that their blood pressure rose from 108 mmHg to 117mmHg. In addition, the subjects’ blood vessels narrowed temporarily and were less able to regulate blood pressure by widening or contracting 30 minutes after exposure to nicotine.
“These effects are relevant because we know that in the long term this can lead to blocked and narrowed blood vessels, which of course increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes,” says Lyytinen. Although the immediate effects normalized again after an hour, the researchers therefore assume that vaping nicotine-containing e-cigarettes leads to an increased susceptibility to cardiovascular diseases in the long term. If, on the other hand, the test subjects consumed nicotine-free e-cigarettes, the researchers found no immediate consequences. “This suggests that nicotine is the main cause of the observed effects,” the researchers said. It is already known that nicotine increases the level of hormones such as adrenaline in the body, which in turn can promote the formation of blood clots.
Prefer other smoking cessation methods
“The harm caused by smoking traditional cigarettes, including the effects of nicotine on the body, is well known. E-cigarettes are relatively new, so we know much less about what they do in the body, ”said Jonathan Grigg, ERS chairman, who was not involved in the research. “This study suggests that nicotine-containing e-cigarettes can lead to the formation of blood clots and impair the adaptability of the small blood vessels.” However, since this is a very small study, further studies with more participants are required.
As a means of smoking cessation, Grigg believes e-cigarettes are less suitable than other methods. “Some people use e-cigarettes when trying to quit because they are marketed as safe,” he says. “However, this study complements the growing evidence of the harmful effects of e-cigarettes. Other evidence-based smoking cessation tools recommended by the ERS, such as patches or chewing gum, do not expose the lungs to high levels of potentially toxic compounds. “
Source: Gustaf Lyytinen (Karolinska Institut, Stockholm, Sweden) et al., European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress, 2021