Vaping has “immediate” negative impacts on the body’s circulation, warn the authors of a new study —even when there is no nicotine in the cigarette.
Despite commonly held beliefs that vaping is safer than traditional smoking, the researchers found that vaping had a “significant” effect on blood vessels and may also decrease how much oxygen the vaper’s lungs take in.
The vascular system is made up of the vessels that carry blood and lymph fluid around the body. E-cigarettes, also known as vapes, contain significantly fewer chemicals and toxins than are found in tobacco smoke.
As a result, many people believe they are less harmful than cigarette smoking. Vapes also come in a wide range of different flavors, making them popular among young people.
But the new research, which will be presented at a meeting of the Radiological Society of North America in Chicago next week, is the latest to suggest that they have a negative impact on health.
“E-cigarettes have long been marketed as a safer alternative to regular tobacco smoking,” said study lead author Dr. Marianne Nabbout of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 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, Dr. Nabbout says it can still be detrimental to vascular function and overall health.
In the study, conducted at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Nabbout and her 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, aged 21 to 49, were included to date.
Over three separate sessions, the participants underwent two MRI exams, one before and one after smoking/vaping episodes: tobacco cigarette, e-cigarette aerosol with nicotine and e-cigarette aerosol without nicotine.
A cuff was placed on the upper thigh to restrict blood flow.
Once deflated, femoral artery flow velocity (a measure of the speed of blood flow in the femoral artery) and venous oxygen saturation (a measure of the amount of oxygen in the blood that returns to the heart after supplying oxygen to the body’s tissues) were assessed.
Blood flow in the brain was also measured with a special type of MRI called phase-contrast MRI.
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 of age.
Following inhalation of each type of vaping or smoking, the findings showed there there was a “significant” decrease in the resting blood flow velocity in the superficial femoral artery, which 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.
The research team 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.”
Speaking to CNN, she added, “Even if there was no nicotine in the e-cigarette, there could be other components that may be harmfu. That is why I think we saw these significant effects, even when the subjects were not choosing the nicotine-based electronic cigarette.”
Dr. Nabbout says 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 favor of public health,” she said. “Refraining from smoking and vaping is always recommended.”
