Vapers still run risk of heart attack, says study

FRESH questions about the safety of vaping were raised this week after research showed e-cigarette users are twice as likely to suffer a heart attack as non-smokers.

The study of nearly 70 000 people linked e-cigarettes to an increased heart attack risk for the first time. It also found that people who smoke cigarettes and vape increase their risk of a heart attack by five times.

The research came after a committee of MPS last week recommended lifting restrictions on using e-cigarettes in public amid claims they are 95% healthier than traditional cigarettes.

The MPS called for vaping to be allowed on trains, buses pubs, restaurants and workplaces.

Earlier this week a study linked e-cigarettes with changes to mouth DNA and possible cancer. But supporters say it is less risky than traditional smoking as the cancer-causing compounds found in cigarette smoke such as tar are not present in e-cigarettes.

But the new findings add heart attacks to a host of other medical problems linked to e-cigarettes. These include the lung condition chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and a risk of cancer as compounds in the vapour have been shown to cause DNA damage.

The new research, carried out by the University of California at San Francisco, is the first to examine the relationship between e-cigarette use and heart attacks.

Martin Mckee, professor of European public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: “Although this is the first study to show a link with heart attacks, it is consistent with most research conducted independently of the tobacco industry on the effects of e-cigarettes on the circulatory system.

“This study reminds us that traditional and electronic cigarettes are different products. E-cigarettes don’t have some of the harmful substances found in traditional cigarettes, but they do have other things in them.

“Someone who continues to smoke while using e-cigarettes increases the odds of a heart attack fivefold.”

However, supporters of e-cigarettes have dismissed the findings.

Professor Peter Hajek, of the tobacco dependence research unit at Queen Mary University of London, said: “This is even worse than the usual anti-vaping pseudoscience.” – Daily Mail