A recent research study has explored that e-cigarettes containing nicotine cause serious impacts in the body. The impacts include the increment of arterial stiffness, increased heart rate, and blood pressure.
Dr. Magnus Lundback (MD, Ph.D.) from the famous Karolinska Institute in Stockholm opined significantly about it. Study leader Dr. Lundback has revealed that for the last couple of years users of the e-cigarettes has grown dramatically. He said this while presenting the study at the important European Respiratory International Congress.
General people think that e-cigarettes are almost harmless. Interestingly, these products are marketed with a view that they decrease harm and very helpful to prevent smoking the tobacco cigarettes. But, the safety of these e-cigarettes is still a matter of debate, and several instances are indicating the adverse health impacts.
According to NCBI, tobacco smoking changes the systolic or the diastolic blood pressure, and the heart rate. It influences the blood vessels' elasticity and ultimately increases the arterial stiffness. Nicotine is probably responsible for such changes. Now, e-cigarettes were thought as the healthier alternative to the combustible cigarettes, though controversy is there regarding this thought.
The research leader Dr. Lundback and his colleagues recruited fifteen healthy and young volunteers during the study in 2016, according to EurekAlert. These volunteers who took part in the said research study were actually seldom smokers. They smoked ten cigarettes per month and more interestingly never tried the e-cigarettes before participating in the study.
Among the volunteers 41 percent were male, and 59 percent were female. Their average age was twenty-six. During the study one day they tried randomly the e-cigarettes containing nicotine for thirty minutes. Another day they tried e-cigarettes devoid of nicotine.
The research team at first immediately measured the heart rate, arterial stiffness, and blood pressure after smoking these cigarettes. The researchers measured again after two hours and also four hours. The measurement of first thirty minutes showed the smoking of the e-cigarettes that had nicotine increased the arterial stiffness, heart rate, and the blood pressure. But, such effects were not visible among the volunteers who smoked the e-cigarettes that contained no nicotine.
According to Dr. Lundback, the said immediate increment of the arterial stiffness, though temporary, is also visible during the use of the conventional cigarettes. He even opined that chronic exposure to the passive and active cigarette smoking causes the permanent increment of arterial stiffness. That means chronic exposure to the e-cigarettes containing the nicotine can bring permanent impacts on the arterial stiffness for the long term.
No doubt, the outcome of the research study has explored the requirement of maintaining a careful attitude towards the e-cigarettes. The users of these cigarettes should be very aware regarding its potential dangers. Their awareness must be very helpful to decide whether to quit or continue this product.
