A few days ago, Hyun-Wook Lee, a researcher from New York University has published a study on the impact of electronic cigarette aerosol on human and mouse cells. According to this study, the e-cigarette could be harmful for the parameters of the heart and the vessels, and therefore cause vasoconstriction, an increase in blood pressure, heart rate as well as arterial stiffness. However, several scientists specializing in vaping were quick to denounce the protocol of this study, which once again seems to wrongly accuse the famous device.
CANCER, HEART DISEASES… WHEN THE PRESS CONDEMNS THE E-CIGARETTE WITHOUT PROOF!
As much to say to you that with such an opportunity of buzz, AFP (Agence France Presse) and a good part of the media threw themselves on the file like starved to death without even taking the time to contact some scientists in Europe. Since last night, we find everywhere the same title " The electronic cigarette would increase the risk of some cancers in addition to heart disease ”With content pre-machined by AFP.
“According to certain scientific publications, the e-cigarette could prove to be harmful for the parameters of the heart and vessels, and therefore cause vasoconstriction, an increase in blood pressure, heart rate as well as arterial stiffness. In this case, all parameters which we know are correlated with cardiovascular health.
Anyway, according to recent work by researchers at New York University School of Medicine, published Monday in the Proceedings of the American Academy of Sciences (PNAS), smoking electronic cigarettes could increase the risk of certain cancers as well as heart disease. Indeed, according to preliminary results from a study done on mice and human cells in the laboratory, nicotine vapor may be more harmful than previously thought.
From this work, it emerges that, exposed to vaping for twelve weeks, rodents sucked in nicotine vapor equivalent in dose and duration to ten years of vaping for humans! At the end of this experiment, the scientists observed “ damage to the DNA of cells in the lungs, bladder and heart of these animals as well as a reduction in the level of cell repair proteins in these organs compared to mice who had breathed filtered air during the same period"
And that's not all: similar adverse effects have been observed in human lung and bladder cells exposed in the laboratory to nicotine and a carcinogenic derivative of this substance (nitrosamine). These cells have notably undergone higher rates of tumor mutations.
« Although e-cigarettes contain fewer carcinogens than conventional cigarettes, vaping may be at greater risk of developing lung cancer or bladder cancer and developing heart disease.“, Write the researchers whose Pr Moon-Shong Tang, professor of environmental medicine and pathology at the New York University School of Medicine, the principal author. "
So should we be worried about this study which is looping on news channels and in print and online media? Not so sure…
"A METHOD WHICH DOES NOT IMITATE NORMAL CONDITIONS OF USE AT ALL"
It is not because the mainstream media do not cover it that scientists specializing in the field do not have a say! And as often after the publication of a study, certain voices are heard!
And you might as well specify right away that you can easily make a study say what you want whose " method does not mimic normal conditions of use at all"
On an article of the site US News, Moon Shong Tang, co-author of the famous study said « We have found that the nicotine-free e-cigarette aerosol does not cause DNA damage« subsequently stating that Le-liquid with nicotine caused similar damage to nicotine alone" Clearly, is it the nicotine the problem and not the e-liquid? Surprising no? He even asserts that the damage observed with these doses of nicotine for a mouse would be equivalent to that observed in humans with passive smoking. He specifies in US News that with the data in their possession it is not possible to affirm possible cancerous consequences.
Many other scientists have also embraced the subject as the Pr. Peter Hajek, director of the tobacco addiction research unit at Queen Mary University in London who says:
« Human cells have been submerged in nicotine and carcinogenic nitrosamines purchased on the market. It is of course not surprising that it damages cells, but it has nothing to do with the effects of vaping on the people who use it. »
For the Professor Riccardo Polosa from the University of Catania, there is clearly a problem in the methodology used :
« The method described by the authors does not mimic the normal conditions of use of vaping products. The conditions reproduced in these experiments are exaggerated and favor the production of toxic substances. Our studies of patients with lung disease not only demonstrate the absence of damage but highlight the same improvements that can be achieved by quitting smoking. "
Finally, it appears that during the experiment, each mouse inhaled until 20 000 puffs a day whereas in normal condition a human is between 200 and 300 puffs. This data alone would suffice to show that the study presented by Hyun-Wook Lee is not very serious.
Source : Lalibre.be - Theguardian.com - Us News - Vapolitique - Pnas.org
Information published by AFP -
