The e-cigarette less dangerous than tobacco? This no longer seems to be in doubt despite many surprising studies. Yet recent work published in the scientific journal Journal of the American College of Cardiology demonstrate that vaping leads to significant improvements in cardiovascular health in smokers.
A BENEFIT OF MORE IMPORTANT VAPOTAGE IN WOMEN!
Through the study VESUVIUS commissioned by the British Heart Foundation, Scottish researchers have recently shown that the use of e-cigarettes leads to significant improvements in cardiovascular health in smokers. The work has been published in the scientific journal Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
« There have been many fears about the cardiovascular effects of vaping. These were generally based on the pouring e-liquid onto cells in petri dishes, poisoning mice with massive doses of chemicals unrelated to human vaporization, or misinterpreting the acute stimulant effects of vaporization, including the health effects are similar to ingesting coffee", Annoys the Pr Peter Hajek, Director of the Tobacco Addiction Research Unit, Queen Mary University, London, Science Media Center.
Like several specialists, he was waiting for relevant data on humans: the study VESUVIUS commissioned by the British Heart Foundation would have been the largest undertaking to date to determine the impact of e-cigarettes on heart health, with results published by the Journal ofAmerican College of Cardiology.
A two-year trial run by the university's medical school found that smokers who switched to e-cigarettes showed significant improvement in their vascular health within four weeks, with women seeing greater gains than men. The study also found that transitioning participants achieved greater improvement than those who continued to use both tobacco and e-cigarettes.
Professor Jacob George, professor of cardiovascular medicine at Dundee and chief investigator of the trial, said that while e-cigarettes were found to be less harmful, the devices in question could nonetheless pose health risks.
« It is crucial to stress that e-cigarettes are not safe, but remain less harmful to vascular health than tobacco. Smoking is an avoidable risk factor for heart disease. »He declares before adding« They should not be considered harmless devices for non-smokers or young people. However, in chronic tobacco smokers, vascular function improved significantly within a month of switching from smoking to vaping."
« To put it in context, every percentage point of improvement in vascular function results in a 13% reduction in the rate of cardiovascular events such as heart attacks. By switching from tobacco to e-cigarettes, we saw an average improvement of 1,5 points in just one month. This represents a significant improvement in vascular health. We also found that in the short term at least, whether or not the e-cigarette contained nicotine, a person would see an improvement in their vascular health with vaping. The long-term impact of nicotine consumption requires careful study and monitoring. »
« Women have benefited much more than men from switching to e-cigarettes, and we are still investigating why. Our research also found that, if a person smoked under 20, the stiffness of their blood vessels also improved significantly compared to those who smoked over 20. "
AN ENHANCEMENT OF THE HEALTH OF THE ARTERIES IN ONLY ONE MONTH WITH THE VAPE!
The study VESUVIUS recruited 114 long-time smokers who had smoked at least 15 cigarettes per day for at least two years. The participants were divided into one of the following three groups
for a month: those who continued to smoke tobacco, those who switched to e-cigarettes with nicotine and those who switched to e-cigarettes without nicotine. Participants were monitored throughout the testing period while undergoing vascular testing before and after the trial.
Professor Jeremy Pearson, Associate Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation, said, " Our heart and blood vessels are the hidden victims of smoking. Every year in the UK, 20 people die from heart and circulatory disease caused by smoking. 000 people per day, or two deaths per hour. Quitting smoking is the best thing for a healthy heart. »
According to him " this study suggests that vaping may be less harmful to blood vessels than smoking. After just a month of quitting smoking for e-cigarettes, people's blood vessel health began to recover. »
However, he reminds us that “it is not because e-cigarettes are less harmful than tobacco that they are completely safe. We know they contain far fewer harmful chemicals that can cause smoking-related illnesses, but we still don't know the long-term effects. Vaping should never be used by people who do not already smoke, but could be a useful tool to help quit smoking ”
For his part, the Scottish Minister of Public Health, Joe FitzPatrick MSP, said: “I welcome the publication of this report, which contributes to the ongoing debate on the place of electronic cigarettes in our communities. It is good to see important and relevant studies like this produced in Scotland and justifying our reputation as one of the leading centers for medical research.
« Although research shows that switching to e-cigarettes may have beneficial effects on the vascular health of chronic tobacco smokers, access to it needs to be carefully controlled as these are simply not products intended for use by people who smoke. children or non-smokers. »
