A study has found that "worrisome changes" have been detected in the blood pressure and heart rate of people immediately after they have vaped. The research, conducted by the University of Wisconsin, compared the difference in impact between 400 participants who use e-cigarettes and those who smoke ordinary cigarettes, as well as others who do not consume any nicotine.
It concluded that the analysis cast doubt on the popular assumption that vaping is significantly safer than smoking. Heart rate and blood pressure measurements were taken before and then 15 minutes after those taking part in the study had vaped or smoked.
Those who vape or smoke experienced increases in both, whereas those who do not normally consume nicotine reported no changes. Other consequences for the regular nicotine users, according to the study's findings, included worse measures of heart rate variability and a constricted brachial artery, which is the main blood vessel supplying blood to the arms and hands.
The latter suggests the body's sympathetic nervous system was being activated, which happens when a person is stressed or in danger, leading to rises in heart rate and blood pressure and increasing the heart's need for oxygen. Commenting on the research, lead study author Matthew C Tattersall said: "These findings suggest worse cardiovascular disease risk factors right after vaping or smoking."
As part of the study, participants were also subjected to an exercise stress test 90 minutes after they had vaped or smoked. Again, those who vaped or smoked reported worse results in terms of heart rate recovery after exercising and how hard their heart needed to work during their exertions.
Lead author Christina M Hughey added: "The exercise performance of those who vaped was not significantly different than people who used combustible cigarettes, even though they had vaped for fewer years than the people who smoked and were much younger." The NHS has previously reported that e-cigarettes carry "a small fraction of the risk of cigarettes" because they do not produce tar or carbon monoxide.
Rising numbers have turned to vaping in this country, believing it represents a healthier alternative to smoking. But James H Stein, principal investigator of the Cardiac and Lung E-cig Smoking Study (CLUES), said: "Our findings from the CLUES study raise concerns about the potential harms of chronic use of electronic nicotine delivery systems, particularly for cardiovascular disease.
"We did not study the long-term effects of vaping, use of vaping as a smoking cessation aid or the effectiveness or safety of vaping in that context. However, these findings are concerning because they indicate vaping may increase cardiovascular risk."
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