Health flavors in e-cigarettes harmful to the heart

Are e-cigarettes more damaging than previously thought??

A wide range of flavors that enhance the taste experience of using so-called e-cigarettes can damage the cardiovascular system. Researchers have now found that several flavors of e-cigarettes directly damage the blood vessels.

Boston University scientists have found in their recent research that aromas for e-cigarettes can directly damage the blood vessels, causing damage to the cardiovascular system. The physicians published the results of their study in the English language journal "Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology".

Many people use e-cigarettes to smoke less or quit smoking altogether. However, the flavors of e-cigarettes seem to cause damage to the cardiovascular system. (Image: tibanna79 / fotolia.com)

Experts examine endothelial cells

Boston University researchers conducted a series of experiments to find out if different aromas of e-cigarettes harm the cardiovascular system. First, they studied so-called endothelial cells (these cells form the lining of blood vessels) of two groups of traditional tobacco smokers. One group regularly smoked menthol-flavored cigarettes, the other group smoked non-flavored cigarettes, the experts explain. These cells were then compared to cells taken from volunteer non-smokers.

Smoker's cells do not do their key job well

The cells of both types of smokers were less able to fulfill an important key function. This involved the production of nitric oxide, a colorless gas used to dilate the blood vessels. The same thing happened to nonsmokers who were directly exposed to menthol and eugenol (This chemical was used to create a clove oil flavor). These results enabled researchers to create a baseline that could be compared to the flavoring commonly used in e-cigarettes.

Cultured cells were exposed to nine flavors

Next, researchers exposed lab-grown endothelial cells to different levels of nine flavor additives for 90 minutes each, including menthol, vanillin (vanilla), and cinnamon aldehyde (cinnamon). These materials were heated to the same temperatures that would produce an e-cigarette, becoming an inhalable aerosol.

Five flavors can cause inflammation

At the highest levels of exposure that are unlikely to occur during typical use of e-cigarettes, the ingredients have caused the cells to die immediately, the researchers explain. But even at a lower level, the physicians found that five flavors (the three substances mentioned above along with eugenol and acetylpyridine) in these cells can cause impaired production of nitric acid and inflammation.

Flavorings cause cardiovascular system disorders

The findings of the study suggest that the flavorings used in e-cigarettes can cause cardiovascular disease alone or together with other products of combustion or components, says study author Professor Jessica Fetterman of Boston University. This could lead to serious consequences, as flavored tobacco products are the most commonly used products, especially in adolescents, the expert adds. The current study is not the first study that found that e-cigarette flavorings can harm our circulation (or our lungs). However, the current study has provided the most direct evidence of these harmful effects, the experts explain.

Which concentrations of the flavorings enter the body?

However, it is not yet known what concentrations of flavorings in the use of tobacco products in the body, says Professor Fetterman. Lower concentrations of menthol were comparable to the levels achieved by smoking one pack of menthol cigarettes in one day. However, it is unknown how many of the other flavoring additives enter the bloodstream after using an e-cigarette. A method is needed to test the effect of flavoring additives immediately after vaporization. More research on this topic is already underway, say the scientists.

Are e-cigarettes healthier than regular cigarettes??

Some researchers and public health experts have already looked at the use of e-cigarettes as a way to quit smoking. These experts claim that it is much better to use e-cigarettes than to smoke real cigarettes, even though the use of e-cigarettes is not really harmless. Other physicians, on the other hand, argue that e-cigarettes could potentially be an easy way to smoke cigarettes.

Further research is needed

There are few studies on the health effects of evaporation. Many of the long-term health effects are still unknown. Therefore, it is premature to say that e-cigarettes are a safer alternative to smoking, says study author Prof. Fetterman. It is known that some ingredients in cigarettes, which are related to heart disease, also occur in e-cigarettes. Cigarettes cause most of the risk of heart disease in smokers, and even if e-cigarettes contain lower levels of toxic substances, they can still present a similar risk of heart disease, the researchers add. To clarify these questions, further investigations are needed. (As)