Vaping May Impact This Key Health Stat as Much as Cigarettes, Study Shows

While many people believe e-cigarettes to be less harmful than cigarette smoking, new research from the University of Pennsylvania reports vaping may be just as detrimental to vascular function and overall health as regular cigarettes. 

The study, which is being presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) next week, stated that regardless of whether or not the e-cigarettes contained nicotine a decrease in venous oxygen saturation was present. 

"E-cigarettes have long been marketed as a safer alternative to regular tobacco smoking," said study lead author Marianne Nabbout, M.D., a radiology resident at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock. "Some believe that e-cigarettes don't contain any of the harmful products, such as free radicals, found in regular tobacco cigarettes because no combustion is involved."

Although e-cigarettes have been considered a healthier option than normal cigarettes because they lack harmful ingredients like tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) and heavy metals like cadmium and lead, they aren't exactly foolproof.

In the study, Nabbout and other researchers sought to identify the acute effects on vascular function of both cigarette smoking and e-cigarettes. 

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To test their theories, they gathered 31 smokers and vapers ranging in age from 21 to 49. Study participants endured two MRI exams—one before and one after the following smoking episodes: tobacco cigarette, e-cigarette aerosol with nicotine, and e-cigarette aerosol without nicotine. Next, a cuff was placed on the participant's upper thigh to restrict blood flow and determine the effects on femoral artery flow velocity (a measure of the speed of blood flow to the lower body) and venous oxygen saturation (a measure of the amount of oxygen leftover for use after supplying oxygen to the body's tissues).

The testing found that the use of both types of vaping and smoking (with or without nicotine) decreased the femoral artery flow velocity and decreased the venous oxygen saturation, whether or not the e-cigarettes contained nicotine. 

"This study serves to highlight the acute effects smoking and vaping can have on a multitude of vascular beds in the human body," Dr. Nabbout said. "If the acute consumption of an e-cigarette can have an effect that is immediately manifested at the level of the vessels, it is conceivable that the chronic use can cause vascular disease."