Vaping heart risk:

New research casts doubt on UK plan to prescribe electronic devices for those quitting smoking

VAPING could be as bad for the heart as smoking cigarettes, a study suggests.

The findings triggered warnings that electronic cigarettes may be “far more dangerous” than was previously thought. Trials found that a typical session using a device caused similar effects to the main heart artery as smoking a cigarette.

The research, presented at the world’s largest cardiology conference, comes amid growing controversy about the safety of e-cigarettes.

Last year Public Health England (PHE) endorsed vaping, claiming the habit was 95 per cent safer than smoking. GPs will soon be able prescribe electronic cigarettes to help smokers who are trying to quit the habit.

Researchers at the European Society for Cardiology congress in Rome said such steps were premature – and that they would not encourage the use of the devices.

British heart experts yesterday said the findings were important, and said much more research was needed to examine the long-term safety of e-cigarette use. The trial involved a group of adult smokers, whose hearts were monitored while they vaped, and when they smoked ordinary cigarettes.

Researchers said a typical vaping session had a similar impact on stiffness of the aorta – the main artery into the heart – as smoking a cigarette. Lead researcher Prof Charalambos Viachopoulos, from the University of Athens Medical School said: “We measured aortic stiffness. If the aorta is stiff you multiply your risk of dying, either from heart diseases or from other causes.”

The unfavourable effects shown from a 30-minute session vaping – described by researchers as a typical habit – were similar to those from five minutes spent smoking a cigarette, the study found.

“The aorta is like a balloon next to the heart,” he said. “The more stiff the balloon is, the more difficult for the heart to pump. It’s the most powerful biomarker we have for estimating cardiovascular risk.”

The experiments, which involved 24 adults with an average age of 30, only examined the immediate effects of ecigarettes and smoking. The cardiologist said the long-term risks of vaping remain unknown – but that he would not recommend their use.

“There could be long-term heart dangers. They are far more dangerous than people realise.” Commenting on PHE’s stance, he said: “I wouldn’t recommend them now as a method to give up smoking. I think the UK has rushed into adopting this method.”

However, Deborah Arnott, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, said: “This study does not prove that e-cigarettes are as hazardous as smoking.”

She highlighted other findings from the study, showing that if a vaping session was limited to five minutes, the impact on aortic stiffness was significantly less than that associated with a cigarette.