(Newswire.net — February 5, 2017) — E-cigarettes may not be the healthier choice for nicotine addicts after all, according to researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
The researchers claim that the negative side effects of e-cigarettes have not been explored in depth. These scientists from UCLA linked e-cigarettes with the rise of cardio-vascular diseases.
According to researchers, “habitual e-cigarette use was associated with a shift in cardiac autonomic balance toward sympathetic predominance and increased oxidative stress, both associated with increased cardiovascular risk.”
Findings on cardiovascular risk among regular e-cigarette users were published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The study included habitual e-cigarette users between the ages of 21 and 45, and a control group of 19 healthy non-smokers.
Researchers took blood tests and measured breathing during a relaxed state and during exercise. According to findings, e-cigarette users’ heartbeat patterns showed high levels of adrenaline or increased cardiac sympathetic activity and their blood analysis revealed a higher oxidative stress than the one found in non-smokers.
Holly Middlekauff, a cardiologist at UCLA and co-author of the study, said that “electronic cigarettes aren’t harmless,” citing the study results. She concluded that e-cigarettes “have real, measurable physiological effects”, which are linked to a higher risk of cardio-vascular diseases.
Aruni Bhatnagar of the American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center confirmed that the study result “adds to the case that there may be some residual harm associated with e-cigarettes”.
According to the U.S. surgeon general report from December, “vaping” has more negative consequences for brain development and health in young people compared to older users.
The report concluded that e-cigarettes are underexplored and that “gaps in scientific evidence do exist”.