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According to a new study of human cells in the laboratory, the aroma of electronic cigarettes can damage the cells lining your blood vessels and perhaps even your heart health.
The study, published Monday in the
Journal of the American College of Cardiology
, adds to the growing evidence that flavored "e-liquids" used in vows can hinder the ability of human cells to survive and function. The authors say that these changes, some observed in the absence of nicotine, are known to play a role in heart disease.
"The public has this notion that electronic cigarettes are safe," said Dr. Joseph Wu, author of the study, director of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute and a professor in the departments of medicine and radiology of the faculty of medicine.
The experts say that this conviction stems not only from the presence of fewer carcinogenic chemicals than from combustible cigarettes, but also from the fact that many vaping products are sold in sugary or fruity aromas that may seem harmless.
"Because of this perception, many children are engaged in e-cigarettes," said Wu. "There are so many children who smoke electronic cigarettes, and these children will become adults. adults can become elderly patients that I will take over later as a cardiologist. "
The US Food and Drug Administration announced in November that vaping has increased by nearly 80% among high school students and 50% among college students since the previous year. Experts are also concerned that devices could put children's developing brains at risk, make them addicted to nicotine early in life, and act as a gateway to smoking and other drugs. But the long-term effects are not clear.
In the new study, which included six e-liquids containing different concentrations of nicotine, the Wu team found evidence of toxic effects – including lower cell survival and signs of increased inflammation – on a type of cardiovascular cell. In order to determine what could happen in a person's blood vessels, the researchers observed the reaction of these cells when they came into contact with electronic liquids as well as with liquid from the blood of a small group of participants who had volatilized. These effects varied from one liquid to another, the most powerful being a product flavored with cinnamon.
While researchers have tested six liquids in the new study, experts claim that thousands of unique flavors are sold online. The aroma component that is most responsible for these effects and its operation are still unclear, Wu added.
In one
comment
published in the same journal, physicians from the University of Mbadachusetts Medical School said that it would be important to perform tests on animal models – not just on cells in culture – in order to better to understand the science at stake. But these discoveries, they said, come with the growing concern that vaping products, and especially flavorings, may be more harmful than we originally thought.
"In addition to the harmful effects of nicotine, additives are a potential source of vascular health problems and are disproportionately placed in young people," they said.
Flavors have been at the center of a regulatory debate and a number of local and national policymakers have taken steps to ban them. Flavor advocates say that they are an important tool for encouraging adults to switch to combustible cigarettes, while others want to ban them altogether because they attract children and minimize the perception of harmful vapes. and addictive.
Other studies have observed the impact of vaping products at the cellular level and more generally on cardiovascular health. A
study
Last year, it was shown that everyday users of electronic cigarettes were more likely to have a heart attack, but not as much as daily smokers.
"We are seeing more and more evidence that e-cigarettes have a relationship with an increased risk of heart attack," said previously Dr. Lawrence Phillips, badistant professor of medicine and director of outpatient cardiology at NYU Langone Health. .
"When we compare traditional cigarettes to electronic cigarettes, we really do not compare apples to apples," said Phillips, who did not participate in the new research. "What we're seeing is that both have an increased risk."
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