Even short-term 'vaping' may cause Inflammation in non-smokers: Study

Even short-term use of e-cigarettes may cause cellular inflammation -- an important driver of lung cancer and other respiratory diseases -- in never-smokers, according to a study.

Researchers at The Ohio State University in the US found the first evidence of biological changes correlated with e-cigarette use in never-smoker adults.

Using a procedure called bronchoscopy to test for inflammation and smoking-related effects, the study published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research, found a measurable increase in inflammation after four weeks of e-cigarette use, without nicotine or flavours.

Although the magnitude of change was small compared with a control group, the pilot data suggests that even short-term usage can result in inflammatory changes at a cellular level.

Inflammation from smoking is an important driver of lung cancer and other respiratory disease development, the researchers said.

Researchers said any level of cellular inflammation correlated with vaping is concerning .