Scientists from Boston University found that people who use traditional and e-cigarettes have the same cardiovascular disease risks as those who only smoke traditional cigarettes.
The research is published in Circulation and was conducted by Andrew Stokes et al.
Cigarette smoking and second-hand smoke exposure are responsible for nearly 1 in 5 deaths in the U.S. each year, according to American Heart Association statistics.
In addition to heart disease and stroke, traditional cigarette smoking causes a wide range of health issues, including cancer and lung diseases.
E-cigarettes contain many toxic chemicals, but how their long-term use affects heart health has not been well-studied.
In the study, the team used data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study, which collected information on health and nicotine use from 2013 to 2019.
They compared the heart health of 24,027 traditional cigarette smokers, e-cigarette smokers, and people who used both products.
Nearly 1,500 cardiovascular events – heart attacks, bypass surgery, heart failure, stroke, or other heart condition – were self-reported.
The team found no significant differences in heart attacks, heart failure, or strokes among people who smoked a combination of traditional cigarettes and e-cigarettes, compared to those who smoked traditional cigarettes only.
Those who exclusively used e-cigarettes were 30%-40% less likely to report cardiovascular disease events; however, the number of heart-related events was too small for researchers to draw any solid conclusions.
Because e-cigarettes are still relatively new, there is still a need for more data and ongoing research to create a strong body of evidence on their long-term risks.
People should know that e-cigarettes contain addictive nicotine and toxic chemicals that may have adverse effects on their cardiovascular system and their overall health.
While that research continues, researchers say that people trying to quit should not move to e-cigarettes as a solution.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about snack food that could harm your heart rhythm, and this heart problem linked to 5 times higher death risk in COVID-19.
For more information about health, please see recent studies about statin drugs that can do double duty on heart disease and cancer, and results showing two effective ways to quickly restore normal heart rhythm.
Copyright © 2022 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
