Research shows that vaping has immediate effects on vascular function

Researchers have identified acute effects of cigarette and e-cigarette smoking on vascular function, even without nicotine. The results of the ongoing research are presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

E-cigarettes, also called vapes, are battery-powered devices that heat a liquid to produce an aerosol, which is then inhaled into the lungs. Vapes contain significantly fewer chemicals and toxins than tobacco smoke. As a result, e-cigarettes are believed by many to be less harmful than smoking cigarettes. Vapes also come in different flavors, making them popular among young people.

“E-cigarettes have long been marketed as a safer alternative to regular tobacco smoking,” said lead author Marianne Nabbout, MD, radiology resident at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock. “Some believe that e-cigarettes do not contain any of the harmful products, such as free radicals, found in regular tobacco cigarettes because there is no combustion involved.”

Although vaping exposes users to fewer toxic chemicals than cigarettes, it can still be harmful to vascular function and overall health.

In the study conducted at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Nabbout and colleagues identify the acute effects on vascular function of cigarette smoking and the immediate effects of e-cigarette vaping, with and without nicotine.

So far, a total of 31 healthy smokers and vapers, ranging in age from 21 to 49 years, have been included. In three separate sessions, study participants underwent two MRI examinations, 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.

A cuff was placed on the 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 returning to the heart after oxygen has been delivered to the body’s tissues) were measured. ) evaluated.

Cerebrovascular (blood flow in the brain) reactivity was measured with a special type of MRI called phase-contrast MRI.

The data from the smokers and vapers was then compared with the baseline scans of 10 non-smokers and non-vapers, ranging from 21 to 33 years old.

After inhalation of any type of vaping or smoking, there was a significant decrease in resting blood flow velocity in the superficial femoral artery. This artery runs along the thigh and supplies oxygen-rich 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, regardless of whether the e-cigarettes contained nicotine. This suggests an immediate decrease in oxygen uptake by the lungs after vaping.

“This study serves to highlight the acute effects that smoking and vaping can have on a large number of vascular beds in the human body,” said Dr. Nabbout.

“If the acute consumption of an e-cigarette can have an effect that is immediately manifested at the level of the blood vessels, it is conceivable that its chronic use could cause vascular diseases.”

According to Dr. Nabbout’s message to the public is that vaping may not be without harm.

“Ultimately, we rely on science to help guide the regulation of such products for the benefit of public health,” she said. “It is always recommended not to smoke and vape.”