E-cigarette Flavors Are Harmful Even Without Tobacco Smoke

2023 Author: Abraham Higgins | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-30 04:59

E-cigarette flavors are harmful even without tobacco smoke

E-cigarette flavors are caught in the crossfire. Scientists claim that they are harmful to health, professional associations demand their ban, as they can involve young people in smoking.

/ FOTODOM /

E-cigarette flavors are bad for the health of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems even without tobacco smoke, according to a new study.

The media write a lot about electronic cigarettes, sometimes completely opposite things: from presenting them as a tool to combat smoking to horror stories about their exceptional danger.

Previous studies have shown the negative effect of e-cigarettes on the heart and blood vessels, but the role of flavoring additives per se remained relatively unclear.

A study by the Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) looks at the effects on the body of chemical flavorings used in e-cigarettes. Its results were published in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology.

Scientists researched nine popular e-cigarette flavors: menthol (mint), acetylpyridine (smoke), vanillin (vanilla), cinnamaldehyde (cinnamon), eugenol (clove), diacetyl (oil), dimethylpyrazine (strawberry), isoamyl acetate (banana), and eucalyptol. (spicy freshness).

Endothelial cells (the cells that line the blood vessels inside the heart) were collected from smokers and nonsmokers. When non-smokers' cells were exposed to aromatics, inflammation increased and the release of nitric oxide, a molecule that dilates blood vessels and stimulates blood flow, decreased. Both of these effects, which have also been observed in the cells of smokers, are considered indicators of short-term toxicity.

“Our results indicate that flavoring additives are directly toxic to blood vessels by themselves and have adverse effects that can relate to cardiovascular toxicity similar to burning cigarettes in the long term,” said lead author Jessica L. Fetterman.. Fetterman), Associate Professor BUSM.

“Increased inflammation and a decrease in nitric oxide are some of the first changes that lead to cardiovascular disease and complications such as heart attacks and stroke, which is why they are considered early predictors of heart disease,” Fetterman added.

When tested at the highest concentrations, all nine chemicals resulted in cell death. Lower concentrations of cinnamon, clove, strawberry, banana, and spicy freshness flavors produced a similar effect. Cells are particularly sensitive, even at extremely low doses, to the strawberry flavor.

Three flavors - vanilla, clove and mint - were heated to replicate their use in e-cigarettes. When vanilla and cloves were heated, nitric oxide production decreased, while when mint was heated, it remained at the same level.

It is worth noting that there were limitations in the study, as not all flavors were heated and the tests were performed outside the human body.

“Our work and preliminary studies have shown that fragrances are toxic to the lungs and cardiovascular system. Flavors are also an incentive for youth tobacco use and consistent tobacco use among smokers,”Fetterman said.

In a recent statement by the Forum of International Respiratory Societes, doctors and scientists around the world called for flavors to be banned because they increase the appeal of e-cigarettes to teens and could potentially become a “one-way bridge” to regular cigarette smoking.

However, the end of discussions on this topic in the near future is unlikely. E-cigarettes did not appear until the early 2000s, so the lack of long-term data does not provide a comprehensive picture of their health effects. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that e-cigarettes be treated with caution and used only as a last resort to stop smoking.