Switching out the occasional cigarette for a vape does not reduce a smoker’s chance of suffering from heart and lung damage, a study has warned.
US experts studied the health and smoking habits of some 7,000 Americans — finding that vaping alone was associated with lower cardiovascular danger signs.
However, smoking habits which feature both cigarettes and vaping appear to do just as much harm as smoking cigarettes exclusively.
In the UK, cigarette sales have fallen in recent years, with the proportion of the population that smokes having shrunk from 14.7 to 14.1 per cent from 2018–19.
At the same time, however, the use of e-cigarettes appears to be on the rise, with as many as three million Britons thought to be regular vapers.
Switching out the odd cigarette for a vape does not reduce a smoker’s risk of suffering from heart and lung damage, a study warned. Pictured: cigarettes and their electronic counterpart
In their study, public health expert Andrew Stokes of Boston University and colleagues analysed data on the smoking habits and health of more than 7,000 Americans — focussing on inflammation and oxidative stress in the body.
These are key signs which can be used to predict heart attacks and heart failure.
Of the participants, around 10 per cent reported using a combination of both traditional and electronic cigarettes.
The team found that those who vaped exclusively had lower levels of cardiovascular danger signs than those who did not smoke at all.
However, subjects who vaped and smoked had levels of inflammatory and oxidative stress comparable to those who smoked exclusively.
‘This study is among the first to use nationally representative data to examine the association of cigarette and e-cigarette use behaviours with biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress,’ said Dr Stokes.
‘Identifying the association between e-cigarette use and sensitive biomarkers of subclinical cardiovascular injury is necessary for understanding the long-term effects of newer tobacco products such as e-cigarettes,’ he continued.
‘The results could be used to counsel patients about the potential risk of using both cigarettes and e-cigarettes.’
‘Some people who smoke cigarettes pick up e-cigarette use to reduce the frequency with which they smoke cigarettes.’
‘They often become dual users of both products rather than switching entirely from one to the other.’
‘If e-cigarettes are used as a means to quit smoking, cigarette smoking should be completely replaced and a plan to ultimately attain freedom from all tobacco products should be advised.’
Researchers from the US studied the health and smoking habits of 7,000 Americans — finding that vaping alone was associated with slightly lower cardiovascular danger signs. However, smoking habits which feature both cigarettes and vaping do just as much harm as smoking cigarettes exclusively. Pictured, a young man vapes
According to the American Heart Association’s Rose Marie Robertson, the finding ‘has an important message for individuals who may believe using e-cigarettes while continuing to smoke some combustible cigarettes reduces their risk.’
‘This commonly-seen pattern of dual use was not associated with lower levels of inflammatory markers, and thus is not likely to offer a reduction in risk in this specific area,’ Dr Robertson added.
The full findings of the study were published in the journal Circulation.
