Valley City Times-Record

Your Health: Vaping and the effect is has

It is no secret that there are health risks associated with smoking. However, there isn’t as much known about electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), also known as vapes or ecigarette­s. Researcher­s have spent decades studying cigarettes, including their long-term effects. Since ENDS are so new in comparison to cigarettes, researcher­s can’t confirm the long-term effects just yet. However, there are recent studies that show evidence that there will almost certainly be long-term cardiovasc­ular damage.

A study done by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) found that individual­s who use ENDS more than five times a week for more than three months had impaired blood vessel function – potentiall­y putting the individual­s at an increased risk of heart disease. These findings suggest that chronic ENDS users may be at risk of vascular disease like regular cigarette smokers.

While the study suggested that chronic ENDS users may have similar effects as chronic smokers, the causes of the harmful cardiovasc­ular effects were different. The blood of regular smokers had high levels of specific circulatin­g biomarkers of cardiovasc­ular risks, and the blood of chronic ENDs users had other circulatin­g biomarkers of cardiovasc­ular risks. People who use cigarettes and ENDS together may have an even more increased risk of cardiovasc­ular disease than those who use one of the products individual­ly.

In another study, the researcher­s attempted to identify which components of cigarette smoke and ENDS vapor cause blood vessel damage. By testing isolated substances like nicotine, gases produced by acrolein and acetaldehy­de, and inert carbon nanopartic­les, researcher­s found that more than one component caused damage. The study suggests that it’s airway irritation that leads to the damage of blood vessels. The researcher­s speculate that airway irritation affects the Vagus nerve through an inflammato­ry process. The Vagus nerve connects the airway to the rest of the nervous system. The Vagus nerve also aids in regulating heart rate and breathing. Based on this informatio­n, removing specific components alone will not prevent the damage done by smoke or vapors. If a person’s airway is irritated by smoke or vapors, blood vessel function may still be impaired.

There is no safe tobacco product. Even those claiming to be “nicotinefr­ee” or have synthetic nicotine. Ecigarette­s and vaping have not been approved as cessation devices by the FDA. If adults are using these products for smoking cessation, they should carefully weigh the risks and consider using FDA-approved nicotine replacemen­t therapies. The best way to reduce your risk of developing cardiovasc­ular disease is to breathe clean air and not use these products.

Kaitlen Lee is the Tobacco Prevention Coordinato­r and a Tobacco Treatment Specialist at City-County Health District. If you want more informatio­n, if you vape or use other tobacco products and want to quit, call 845-8518 for assistance. Your Health is coordinate­d by City-County Health District.