Doctors reveal what vaping can do to your heart
IndependentMAR 20 2024
According to a new study presented at the Radiological Society of North America's annual meeting, vaping, even without nicotine, immediately reduces vascular function. It also decreases venous oxygen saturation, indicating less oxygen uptake by the lungs.
The study, which was conducted at the University of Pennsylvania but not yet published in a peer-reviewed journal, showed that while nicotine vapes, or e-cigarettes, had the largest impact on vascular health, non-nicotine variants also caused measurable harm.
31 healthy smokers and vapers aged 21 to 49 underwent MRIs before and after using cigarettes, nicotine vapes, and non-nicotine vapes. Researchers then compared their blood flow velocity in the femoral artery and oxygen saturation to 10 non-smokers or vapers.
While scientists have unfortunately failed to give as much attention to vaping as it does smoking, the research still indicates that the negatives outweigh the positives, particularly regarding impaired vascular function, oxidative stress, and increased addiction risk among youth. Governments must ban or heavily regulate vaping products to prevent an epidemic of addiction and long-term health consequences.