• SCIENCE: The lie of electronic cigarettes

They promise to be the definitive way to quit tobacco. However, at least to date, there is not a single serious scientific evidence that supports this supposed function of electronic cigarettes. Quite the opposite. Studies are being added about its harmful effects. The latter points out that smoking such products could be negative for the body's blood vessels, even when it does not contain nicotine.

"Although the liquid in e-cigars can be relatively harmless, the vaporization process can transform molecules, mainly propylene glycol and glycerol, into toxic substances ," argues the principal investigator of the work, Felix Wehrli, professor of Radiological and Biophysical Science at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia.

Precisely in the inhalation of these substances is the question. The Wehrli-led group of researchers set out to examine the short-term impact of electronic cigarettes with propylene glycol and glycerol. He did it through the MRI of 31 healthy and non-smoking adults, before and after vaping an e-cigar without nicotine.

Comparing the images before and after a single episode of vaping, reduced blood flow and impaired endothelial function in the femoral were observed. The endothelium, which covers the inner surface of the blood vessels, is essential for proper blood circulation . Once it is damaged, the risk of heart attack and stroke increases.

In total, study participants performed 16 inhalations of three seconds. After completing the statistical analyzes and medical tests, the authors of the paper found that exposure to electronic cigarettes entailed, for example, a 17.5% reduction in maximum blood flow and a 20% decrease in venous oxygen, which indicates that vaping can cause significant changes in blood vessels, as the article published in the journal 'Radiology' reads.

"Electronic cigarettes are advertised as non-harmful and many users of electronic cigarettes are convinced that they are only inhaling water vapor. But solvents, flavorings and additives in the liquid base, after vaporization, expose users to multiple damages in the respiratory tract and blood vessels, "says Alessandra Caporale, also a principal investigator of this work.

Both she and Wehrli believe that more research is needed to address the possible long-term adverse effects of vaping on vascular health. However, given the results of this and other works, they dare to predict that e-cigars are potentially much more dangerous than previously assumed . Earlier this year, for example, his research group discovered that acute exposure to electronic cigarettes causes vascular inflammation. And this week, the media echoed a story about the investigation that is being carried out in 50 lung patients in the US for the consumption of these products. Everyone referred to fatigue, chest pain and vomiting.

It is best to "warn young people not to even start using electronic cigarettes. The common belief is that nicotine is what is toxic, but we have discovered that there are dangers, regardless of nicotine," says Wehrli. "Clearly, if there is an effect after a single use of an electronic cigarette, then you can imagine what kind of permanent damage it could cause after regularly vaping for years."

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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