Research that was presented at the European Society for Cardiology congress in Rome states that a standard vaping session causes nearly the same damage to the main artery in the heart, the aorta, as smoking a cigarette.
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The scientists speaking went as far as to say that they felt the recent advice from Public Health England that vaping is 95% less harmful than tobacco can be misleading and that they don’t encourage e-cigarette smoking as a healthy alternative to regular smoking.
During the European Society for Cardiology conference in Rome, Professor Charalambos Vlachopoulos of the University of Athens Medical School told fellow researchers vaping had the same damaging effects to the aorta as smoking, The Telegraph reports.
According to them, electronic cigarettes may be “far more dangerous” than was thought.
Study leader Professor Charalambos Vlachopoulos, of the University of Athens Medical School, said the United Kingdom had “rushed into” its promotion of e-cigarettes, adding: ‘E-cigarettes are less harmful but they are not harmless.
Global Positioning System will soon be able prescribe e-cigarettes to those giving up smoking.
Effects of a 30-minute vaping session were similar to those from smoking a cigarette for five minutes. A trial involving a group of adult smokers had their hearts monitored while they vaped, and then again when they used normal cigarettes.
The e-cigarette industry’s trade body also played down the research, claiming aortic stiffness is “transitory” and a “very poor measure” of long-term risk.
“The aorta is like a balloon next to the heart”. This can lead to a condition known as arterial stiffness, which is the main predictor of heart disease. “It’s the most powerful biomarker we have for estimating cardiovascular risk”.
United Kingdom experts said the study was an important reminder that vaping was probably not harmless, but pointed out it had not proven any long-term harm.
He said: “It would certainly be fair to say the study shows electronic cigarettes are not without any risk”. The charity called for more research into the safety of long-term use. “I think the United Kingdom has rushed into adopting this method”.
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Rosanna O’Connor, director of drugs, alcohol and tobacco at Public Health England, agreed, saying: “Vaping carries a fraction of the risk of smoking”.
