Even nicotine-free vaping can impact blood vessels

E-cig firms probed

NEW YORK, Aug 22, (Agencies): Healthy young people show signs of impaired blood vessel function after just a few puffs of an electronic cigarette, even without nicotine, new research shows.

“We essentially found that using e-cigarettes is not equivalent to inhaling water vapor; in fact, it can exert acute, detrimental effects on (blood vessels) even when the liquid does not contain nicotine,” Dr Alessandra Caporale of the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine in Philadelphia, the study’s first author, told Reuters Health in an email.

Evidence is mounting that vaping, sometimes touted as a safer alternative to smoking, is not risk-free, Dr Caporale and her colleagues note in Radiology. In a previous study, they found that vaping nicotine-free e-cigarettes increased signs of inflammation and a form of tissue damage known as oxidative stress, which returned to normal levels in one to three hours.

Big US tobacco companies are all developing e-cigarettes. The battery-powered devices feature a glowing tip and a heating element that turns liquid nicotine and flavorings into a cloud of vapor that users inhale.

Function

In the new study, the authors used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to take several measurements of blood vessel function in 31 healthy adults who had never smoked, before and after they took 16 three-second puffs of an e-cigarette containing propylene glycol, glycerol and flavoring but no nicotine.

After vaping, study participants showed several changes indicating that “vascular reactivity,” which is the ability of healthy blood vessels to widen when necessary, was “considerably and significantly impaired,” Dr Caporale noted.

These changes were temporary, but if repeated over a long period of time could cause inflammation and deterioration of blood vessel health, the researcher added. “We are far from suggesting that a single episode of vaping translates immediately into atherosclerosis.”

With funding from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, which also supported the current research, Dr Caporale and her team are planning a study that will look at inflammation, oxidative stress and circulatory changes in e-cigarette users, cigarette smokers and non-smokers over time.

Dr Irfan Rahman, a professor at the University of Rochester Medical Center who researches the effect of e-cigarettes on health, reviewed the study for Reuters Health. “The study is interesting and has some insights into longterm consequences of electronic cigarette vapors in cardioneurovascular disorders,” he told Reuters Health in a telephone interview.

But the findings don’t confirm an association and shouldn’t be interpreted to mean that e-cigarette users will develop these health problems, he added.

Meanwhile, the number of breathing illnesses reported among people who vape is growing. Health officials are now looking into more than 150 possible cases in 16 states in the US.

Officials on Wednesday said the Food and Drug Administration has joined the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and states investigating reports from the last two months.

All the illnesses were in teens or adults who had used an electronic cigarette or some other kind of vaping device. Doctors say the illnesses resemble an inhalation injury, with the lungs apparently reacting to a caustic substance. So far infectious diseases have been ruled out.

No single vaping product or compound has been linked to all of the cases, and officials said it’s not clear if there’s a common cause.

No deaths have been reported.

Also: WASHINGTON:

Four dominant e-cigarette manufacturers face a probe into the health impacts of their products, as the US House Energy and Commerce Committee asked on Wednesday about the firms’ research and marketing practices.

The committee sent letters to Juul Labs Inc, 35% owned by Marlboro maker Altria Group Inc, Fontem Ventures, Japan Tobacco Inc, and Reynolds American Inc, a unit of British American Tobacco Plc.

The letter to Juul asked if the company has conducted or financed studies on the health implications of using its products and the effectiveness of Juul in helping users quit smoking. It asked if Juul has sent information to the Food and Drug Administration.

Kaelan Hollon, a spokeswoman for Reynolds American, said the company is reviewing the letter and believes “minors should never use tobacco products, including vapor products.”

Japan Tobacco said in a statement it welcomes any opportunity to “set out the responsible approaches” it takes in its marketing.

BRUSSELS:

The Ebola virus disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo continues to spread in the east of the country with a high risk of a spillover into the neighboring countries, the European Union (EU) warned Wednesday.

The EU is stepping up its assistance to Burundi with 465,000 euro ( USD 516,000) to further strengthen Ebola preparedness measures by authorities and aid organizations in the country, EU press release noted.

EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides, who is also the EU’s Ebola Coordinator, said “to effectively fight the Ebola virus we do not only have to address the affected cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo but also increase our efforts to prevent the disease from spreading to neighboring countries like Burundi.”

“The European Union is therefore supporting ongoing Ebola preparedness measures in the country, including infection prevention and control. Everything possible must be done to avoid a further spread of the deadly virus,” he said.